New LED Street Lights in Abingdon

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Oxfordshire County Council have been investing in new street lights, in a bid to save money on energy bills and reduce CO2 emissions.

As part of a 5 year, £5 million contract, the contractor will upgrade 35,000 streetlights and illuminated signs with LED lighting.

They are also replacing old lampposts. This week has seen new lampposts along Wilsham Road and along the lower half of  Preston Road and Saxton Road.

The new LED street lights in Wilsham Road produce the same river view at night using about 75% less energy than the old fluorescent bulbs. LEDs produce very little heat, unlike fluorescent bulbs, which burn about 80% of their energy as heat.

Nuffield in Abingdon and beyond

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When William Morris, the founder of Morris Motors and MG cars, became a Viscount, he took the name Lord Nuffield from the village of Nuffield, where he lived. (I took the picture of the vase at Nuffield Place, his old home and now an interesting National Trust property. It is 15 miles from Abingdon.)

Lord Nuffield was known as a great philanthropist. He used his wealth to establish several charitable institutions, including the Nuffield Foundation, the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, a hospital in Oxford, and Nuffield College, Oxford.

The name Nuffield is also used in Abingdon. Nuffield Way was begun in 1977 as part of the Ashville Trading Estate and is close to the former MG Car works, which closed in 1980.

The Nuffield Press, previously called the Morris Oxford Press, operated from Nuffield Way between 1994 and 2011.

Nuffield Way has expanded, and there is now also Nuffield Centrum and Nuffield Trade Park.

Old Abbey House Revealed after Renovation

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After months of construction, the hoardings have started to come down at Old Abbey House, revealing the renovated building. The historic property, sold to Abingdon Town Council in 1923, and used as council offices for almost a century, was sold to Builders Ede in 2021 and is being converted into a 27-bedroom hotel. The hotel is located in the centre of Abingdon

The volatile price of hotel rooms, petrol and diesel

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I looked to see if I could book a room to find out when the new Abingdon (A34) Premier Inn would open. The earliest date I could book was October 6th, and the price was very reasonable. However, the price increased a lot on October 7th.

The Russia-Ukraine war significantly impacted petrol and diesel prices in the UK. In the immediate aftermath of the Russian invasion, prices rose rapidly due to concerns about the global oil supply, peaking in July 2022. They came close to £2 a litre and have since come down.

Supermarkets across the UK cut diesel prices in July 2023, making diesel cheaper than petrol at supermarkets for the first time in a decade.