On the Market Place on Saturday, there was a sponsored cycle ride with 16 static cycles raising funds for local charity Against Breast Cancer.
The Friends of Abingdon Community Hospital had had a good morning and were just packing up when I walked by.
Also on at the weekend was the Carswell School Fete and the Exbourne Road Street Party. They were all sat down for their Sunday lunch when I cycled by.
The fourth Abingdon food festival on Saturday the 24th June was the biggest yet. The first two took place at the Miele Experience Centre, and the second two at Rye Farm Meadow, beside Abingdon Bridge
The event is organised by the Rotary Club of Abingdon Vesper. There was a small entrance fee of £3, and programs and raffle tickets also went towards helping raising funds towards their local and international projects – described at their stall and on their web site. Rotary members volunteer their time and skills towards the Rotary motto “Service Above Self”. In their big tent cookery demonstrations were going on throughout the day.
There were 60 or 70 exhibitors with food and drink on offer, quite a few of them local including from Abingdon: Ask, Dream Doors, Loose Cannon, Majliss, White Horse Leisure, and Wildwood Kitchen. There were lots of free samples to be tried before purchasing on many stalls, but Wildwood were giving away a selection of salads.
At the centre of the festival was an area with picnic tables where a number of groups played music.
There were also a number of good causes with stalls including the Oxford Food Bank – pictured above. They collect fresh food from wholesalers and supermarkets that would otherwise be thrown away and deliver it to around 80 charities, including the Abingdon Food Bank, supplementing the tins and dry food they store at Christchurch on the Northcourt Road.
Recently I mentioned a walk that visited some places associated with St Edmund of Abingdon. We learned that St. Edmund’s Chapel and St. Edmund’s Fair perpetuated his memory for some time in Abingdon. St Edmund’s Chapel was near St Edmund’s Lane, and St Edmund’s Fair was on the day when St. Edmund was ‘translated’ to become a saint (9th June). As the calendar was changed to come into line with the rest of Europe in 1750 and 11 days added, then we assumed that St Edmund’s Fair would now be on the 20th June one day before the summer solstice.
Tuesday 9 June 1668 was the day that Samuel Pepys visited Abingdon, on the way from Oxford, and wrote in his diary “At night come to Abingdon, where had been a fair of custard; and met many people and scholars going home; and there did get some pretty good musick, and sang and danced till supper: 5s.”
We also learned that the school fair at St Edmund School takes place on the Saturday nearest 20th June.
The Great Get Together took place today in memory of the late MP, Jo Cox, who represented the constituency of Batley and Spen in Yorkshire. Many thousands of events have taken place across the country including the one in Abingdon at St Ethelwolds House. People brought food to share.
On what was a very hot day it was good that there were lots of salads and cool drinks.
And people sat out on the lawns and terraces sharing the food and meeting new people.
Entertainment was provided by, among others, the Mayor on penny whistle, her escourt on the piano accordian, and members of the John Mason folk players.
The event was organised by Emma, inspired by Jo Cox to found Better off Together in Abingon; and by Sue of Host Abingdon, and other groups such as the Abingdon Peace Group.
Both Emma and Sue gave a short speech, as did the Mayor, Cllr Jan Morter. The final speech was given by Layla Moran, the new MP for this area who remembered Jo Cox and her maiden speech in the House of Commons.
Jo Cox said “Batley and Spen is a gathering of typically independent, no-nonsense and proud Yorkshire towns and villages. Our communities have been deeply enhanced by immigration, be it of Irish Catholics across the constituency or of Muslims from Gujarat in India or from Pakistan, principally from Kashmir. While we celebrate our diversity, what surprises me time and time again as I travel around the constituency is that we are far more united and have far more in common with each other than things that divide us.”