The Old Gaol redevelopment is moving on and the former Police Station is now looking very smart.
Scaffolding has now moved to what was once the Tourist Information Centre / Music Centre. The pictured buildings will become apartments – with some community space for The Abingdon Bridge in the former Police Station, and a restaurant / cafe quarter downstairs in the The Old Gaol, and what was Tourist Information.
Yesterday, at St Helen’s Church, there was a fund raising event for the Abingdon Passion Play production in 2016.
Singers were asked to take part in Handel’s Messiah, the first and great English oratorio. In the morning they had vocal warm-up, workshops and rehearsals led by the musical director Ian Miles.
In the afternoon rehearsal they were joined by Soloists and orchestra, and then there was an evening performance. The audience was not as large as such a performance merited. Lynn tweeted me “Messiah incredible where were the towns folk?“
On the Market Pace in Abingdon throughout today there was a fun day to raise funds to get Rosie, a local girl, a disability bicycle.
It was a big event that took up all of the Market Place, and it was well attended. Those taking part included:
A frog man riding a bicycle for sponsorship.
Peppa the Pig.
A bubble man
Abingdon School of Dance
There were even some horses giving lots of rides, and stalls with games and people with buckets collecting money.
A lot of the time it was lovely and sunny, which was good after the thunder and lightening and heavy rain we had yesterday.
On Palm Sunday there was the first concert by the Abingdon Gospel Choir – founded just a few months ago. They were joined by some members of the Oxford Gospel Choir and sang spiritual songs in aid of helping a team from Nicaragua go to the Street Child World Cup in Brazil.
Then on Good Friday there was a procession from the Charter to a service inside St Nicolas Church.
A few years ago you might have seen lots of people standing with crosses on the Market Place in Abingdon on Good Friday, but times have changed and this year Revd. Richard Bittleston’s was to be seen without a flock, carrying a solitary cross.