News from the churches in Abingdon

New from the churches
On Saturday night, the U.K. hosted the Eurovision Song Contest on behalf of Ukraine, the 2022 winners.

In Christ Church Barn, there was a special screening of the song contest for local Ukrainian friends.
New from the churches
Christian Aid week started today. Phil Evans, the regional representative of Christian Aid, was at Abingdon Baptist Church to encourage people to fund raise and challenge injustice in the world.

There will be a Christian Aid stall on Abingdon Market Place Sale on Saturday.

You are unlikely to get a traditional Christian Aid envelope through the door but e-envelopes will be sent out during the week (probably to church members). The Christian Aid website is https://www.christianaid.org.uk/
New from the churches
The Abingdon Passion Play is fund raising for the next production of an Abingdon Passion Play, provisionally planned for June 2024. There will be a ‘come and sing’ of Handel’s Messiah Parts 2 & 3 on Saturday.

Local Green Businesses showcased at Abingdon’s Eco Fair

ECO Fair
The fair took place on Abingdon Market Place, under the County Hall Museum, and in the Guildhall. The Abingdon Town Crier and the Abingdon Town Fryer announced what was happening.
ECO Fair
The fair offered advice and guidance on a variety of green issues from One Planet Abingdon
ECO Fair
and Abingdon Carbon Cutters.

Oxfordshire County Council offered grants for insulating homes (See https://www.oxfordshire.gov.uk/retrofit.)
ECO Fair
The event showcased a variety of green businesses. There were those promoting new forms of energy such as electric bikes and batteries; electric cars and charging points; solar panels; LED lighting for street lamps and the home.

There were architects and design experts who could help design energy efficiency into the home, and new materials that could be used in the home.
ECO Fair
There were also various eco-friendly consumables including pet products; vegan food; re-usable sandwich bags; and wash refills.
ECO Fair
A group of sewing machinists worked in the museum basement mending clothes. There were bike checks in the museum undercroft.

There were also talks. One used thermal imaging in different homes to demonstrate examples of good and bad insulation. Insulation needs fitting properly.

Michelle, from One World Abingdon, who helped organise the event, said it gave local green businesses a chance to share what they are doing with the public. (Included in those businesses were Missing Bean on Stert Street, who source their coffee directly from far-flung farms, roast it themselves, and at this event, supported the stallholders with discounted coffees.)

Abingdon ECO Fair – one of many initiatives from the Climate Emergency Centre

ECO Fair
The Abingdon ECO Fair on Saturday 13th May is just one of the initiatives of the Climate Emergency Centre in the County Hall museum basement. The intention is to make the ECO Fair an annual event. The event will take over the centre of Abingdon with 20 gazebos on the Market Place, talks in the Guildhall, bike checking in the museum undercroft and clothes repair in the museum basement.
ECO Fair
The Climate Emergency Centre is called One Planet Abingdon because the Earth’s population is currently using up the energy and resources of Three Earth planets.  They have the idea of One Planet Living. You can ask them what that means at the ECO Fair. The alternative could be the human equivalent of the meteor off the coast of Mexico that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.
ECO Fair on Saturday