Advent Windows in South Avenue and Holland Road

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South Avenue and Holland Road have been bringing joy to residents and visitors with their annual Advent Windows displays since 2017. The 2024 display looked bigger and better then ever.

This evening, the community gathered outside number 54 South Avenue to celebrate together. The organisers provided hot chocolate, mulled wine, and mince pies. A raffle was organised by The Abingdon Bridge, a local charity supporting young people in Abingdon. Donations given for the Advent Windows will also go to The Abingdon Bridge.

People gathered, drinking their mulled wine or hot chocolate, to hear carols from an Abingdon choral choir.

The stars were bright overhead and the window displays were amazing.

So many people want to take part that there are usually three or four houses displaying Advent windows each day. On December 1st, three windows were revealed. This particular display is located on Holland Road.

There’s an activity sheet and trail for children where they have to find candy canes. Here’s one of them – look, it’s in the dog’s mouth!

This window celebrates the Nativity (the birth of Jesus about 2020 years ago), and the Christian hope that God is with us.

Can you see more candy canes? At Christmas we mix the religious elements with other traditions like Father Christmas who gets stuck down the chimney and a reindeer with a red nose,

and presents, crackers  and much more besides.

New Equipment and Safety Measures at Chaunterell Way Play Park

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Good news for families living near the Chaunterell Way play park in south Abingdon! The park, which often floods due to the nearby River Ock, now features exciting new play equipment for children to enjoy.

Among the new additions are a step trail, a shopfront play feature with a sign that can flip between “closed” and “open,”

and musical elements like a xylophone and a sound synthesizer tube. There’s also a tic-tac-toe game and a railway engine play structure for young visitors.

In addition to the play equipment, the park now has updated signage.

The new sign promotes safety, reminding parents and guardians that children must be supervised at all times. Abingdon Town Council has stated they are not liable for injuries caused by lack of supervision.

For those interested in fitness, the park also includes exercise equipment, scattered across the open, unfenced areas of the park. These facilities are accompanied by a new and detailed set of usage guidelines:

Important — Please read these instructions before beginning your workout
• Users of this equipment do so at their own risk, Abingdon on Thames Town Council does not accept any liability for loss or injury caused by the use of this equipment.
• Users must be 1400mm or taller to use the gym equipment.
• Children must be adequately supervised by an adult. This is not play equipment.
• Read the instructions on each piece of equipment first.
• Begin your exercise routine with a warm up session. Start slowly and build up intensity gradually.
• Aim to do at least 20 minutes of medium to high intensity exercise overall.
• Allow 5-10 minutes stretch off and cool down after your session.
• Stop if you feel faint or dizzy. Do not use under the influence of drugs or alcohol.
• If you are in any doubt about your health or level of physical fitness, consult a doctor or fitness professional before using this equipment.
• Be courteous; allow others to use this equipment as soon as you have finished your session.
• Stand clear of all equipment when in use by someone else.
• Do not use any equipment if it appears damaged or malfunctioning
• In case of accidents, please contact 999 or 111. The nearest Minor Injuries unit is at Abingdon Hospital.
• In the interest of safety, please do not bring dogs, glass or alcohol into the area.
• Please help to keep this site in good working condition.

The new signage reflects a trend to prioritise safety and minimise liability.

Neighbourhood Plan to 2041 – the next step into an uncertain future

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In 2019, the Town Council initiated a neighbourhood plan. A steering group of residents, chaired by Simon Hill, has been developing this plan to help plan Abingdon’s future in several key areas: heritage and town centre, green spaces, families and young people, walkable neighbourhoods and transport, and business and economy.

The draft Neighbourhood Plan is available and will soon be submitted for examination by an independent planning inspector. Before this, the plan is open for public consultation until February 10, 2025, to allow final modifications.

The consultation can be found by following the Town Council’s link https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/neighbourhood-plan

Key aims of the plan include:
* New developments should not add to congestion or flood-risk
* Enhance pedestrian and cycle routes through town
* Improve the sustainability of conversions and new build homes
* Preserve Abingdon’s unique character, historical sites, and scenic views
* Protect, maintain, and enhance the natural environment
* Protect existing, and deliver new easily accessible, community infrastructure

For more detail, refer to the full 80-page plan. While some sections, particularly the policy documents, seem to be written for planning professionals, other parts offer interesting insights into Abingdon’s past, the challenges it faces, and the proposed future direction.

If approved by the inspector, the plan will be put to a referendum. Should the plan receive majority support from Abingdon voters, it will become a formal part of the planning policies used by the district council, alongside the district council’s own plan.

Both plans look forward to 2041. That is so long as the district council exists up to 2041. (There are early discussion in parliament about new unitary authorities that could supersede the current district councils. See https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c4gjz2lpj1po.)

Seasonal Visitors to Waitrose and Changing Priorities

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Abingdon Town Band was playing carols outside Waitrose last night. The Town Band has been out and about far more in recent months.

This morning, donkeys from the Donkey Sanctuary were outside Waitrose. They are regular visitors to Abingdon and can often be seen at the Christmas Extravaganza. They also sometimes help out during Palm Sunday. But it’s not just Abingdon — they were in Didcot on Saturday.

The Waitrose store appears to have moved past the Christmas Tree stage and will soon transition into the Turkey collection stage.

The removal of Waitrose Unwrapped, their unpackaged section, and its replacement with the Christmas Shop, a highly packaged section, was another recent change.