Sunny weather came to Abingdon and it made for a much warmer walk by the River Ock.
I have started to see letters appearing for the Carswell School Easter Trail which runs during the holidays between Friday 2nd April– Sunday 18th April 2021. The letters will make a seasonal phrase.
There were quite a few people out enjoying the sunshine in the Albert Park.
Squirrels also seem to enjoy the sun.
Car parking charges on the streets in the town centre will be going up on 1st April from 60p to 80p for an hour and £1.00 to £1.20 for two hours. This scheme is run by Oxfordshire County Council.
That does not compare well with the Vale of White Horse car parks where the first two hours are free. (Other charges have recently been increased.)
Lots of people pay to park in West St Helen Street when the West St Helen Street car park is only ten or twenty meters away, and is free for the same period.
Most of the Charter car park is currently closed for essential work. So most drivers have to use one of the other car parks. The urgent repair work began on March 3rd and is likely to be a number of months.
Most residents in the town centre, who are part of the residents parking scheme, have out of date permits because there has been no way to buy a new permit during the Covid-19 pandemic. But this has just changed and they can be ordered remotely. Residents need to get valid permit by 1st May to use permit holder bays.
St. Helen’s Church in Abingdon has an Easter garden in the West Porch, made with spring flowers and moss and representing the tomb in the Garden of Gethsemane, with the crosses on the hill of Calvary behind it.
The garden and an Easter display can be viewed for a couple of hours on days until the 7th April. There are also bags of goodies for children.
Due to the government restrictions, only food and drink traders were on the Market Place for the Local Excellence Market.
Stalls were spaced out and a lot of people were wearing face masks.
If the national lockdown easing plan stays on track, there could be a fuller Local Excellence Market on 29th May.
Other Market place events that are now on the town council’s calendar include:
Election of the Mayor of Ock Street – Saturday, 19 June 2021
Splash of Pink Day – Saturday, 17 July 2021
Health Fest Abingdon – Saturday, 4th September 2021