Mayor Making – Changing of the Guard

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Changing of the Guard
There was a changing of the Guard at the Guildhall this evening. Malcolm Hill carried the Mace into the Mayor Making Ceremony for the final time this evening – having held the Office of Honorary Macebearer since 2003.
Changing of the Guard
Nigel Luker became the new Honorary Macebearer and carried the Mace out of the Ceremony.
Changing of the Guard
Malcolm is seen here after the ceremony. He was presented with a certificate by the outgoing Mayor, Angela Lawrence.

Angela gave Mayor’s awards to the chair of governors of the three state secondary schools in Abingdon:
Lynn Fathers – Fitzharrys
Paul Brooks – John Mason
David Lever – Larkmead

Angela commented that the position of school governor is a far more demanding role these days. Governors are held to account for how their school is performing, and need to come to grips with all kinds of data.

Mayor’s Awards were also given to:
Wendy Barratt – Abingdon Breakaway Club,
Dr Tony Gillman – Abingdon, Didcot, and Wantage Talking Newspaper (DAWN)
Changing of the Guard
The incoming Mayor is Helen Pighills,
Changing of the Guard
and her deputy is Alice Badcock.

The new town council also had quite a few different faces.

Fountain replaced by Flower Container at Roysse Court

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Fountain
The fountain at Roysse Court, created by the Cowley Concrete Company, has been removed.

Abingdonians have told me they remember bridge sections, and large concrete pipes being taken away on lorries from the Cowley Concrete Company – a one time Abingdon industry.
Flower Container
It has been replaced by a flower container from Marcham Road.

The green central reservation on Marcham Road is now considered too dangerous to be regularly watered by town council staff.

Late Easter Egg delivered to Station House

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Late Easter Egg
Mike, the Labour Party Candidate for the Town Centre, won a guess the weight of the Easter Egg at the Gift Centre at Easter. It was 13KG.

He did not want to eat the egg all himself, and decided to see if the people of Old Station House would enjoy it instead.

During electoral purdah he could not invite publicity, or do anything opponents could claim was an electoral bribe, and so waited until today to do the presentation.
Late Easter Egg
While there, I discovered that one of the Station House residents grew up on a farm, and gets great pleasure from looking after the two Station House hens.
Late Easter Egg
You may have seen their eggs advertised in the window.

Ethiopian Papier Mache Cow on Abingdon Market Place

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Christian Aid Cow
I was suprised to see a large cow at the Christian Aid stall on Abingdon Market Place yesterday. The message is that Christian Aid can provide cows to vulnerable women in Ethiopia – just £150 is enough to buy a cow and a more promising future.

The cow had been made with 2 A frames, and chicken wire, overlaid with papier mache.
Christian Aid Cow
The cow was also to be seen in Abingdon Baptist Church this evening for the Church in Abingdon Christian Aid service. It was made in the garage of a member of the Baptist Church, and will now be retiring to Wales to join a zoo of papier mache animals.

As this is Christian Aid week houses in some areas may have received a Christian Aid envelope. There are fewer collectors compared to 25 years ago when most houses in Abingdon got such an envelope. But of the £13,000 raised in Abingdon for Christian Aid last year, £9,000 still came from house collections.