The former Blockbuster DVD rental outlet at the Peachcroft Shops is now a Barnado’s charity shop.
There are some DVDs above the jigsaws, but most of the former DVD rental outlet is taken up with second hand clothes.
At lunchtime on Friday 19th September 2014, Mike Moon the chairman of the Abingdon Fairtrade Steering Group presented the Mayor, Councillor Angela Lawrence, with a certificate saying that the status of Abingdon-on-Thames as a Fairtrade Town had been renewed in 2014.
The Abingdon Fairtrade Group has held events on the Market Place and in town, promoted Fairtrade locally, and led Fairtrade assemblies in schools.
Angela is a long term supporter of Fairtrade and as a new councillor, 21 years ago, put a proposal to the Vale of White Horse District Council that they buy Fairtrade, but was defeated at that time – Fairtrade coffee was not as good back then as it is now.
The next Fairtrade event in Abingdon is at St Ethelwolds on 29th November when there will be a Christmas Fairtrade Market.
A new discount store opened today in the Fairacres retail park in Abingdon. B&M Homestore already have a store in Wantage and will be opening another in Didcot at the weekend, and they look to be growing fast, having opened a store in Isle of Sheppey yesterday, Macclesfield the day before…
From only 21 stores and 1 distribution centre in 2004, B&M has grown to 4 distribution centres and over 380 stores across the UK.
I hope there is still a UK when I wake tomorrow.
Before the meeting there was a presentation on the forthcoming Abingdon Hydro share offer on November 1st.
In a second presentation The Deputy Lord Lieutenant for Abingdon, Mrs Felicity Dick, explained the role of the Lord Lieutenant as the Queen’s representative in Oxfordshire.
The Town Council Meeting then examined the minutes of the previous town council meeting (25th June), and made a few corrections. After that the council went through the minutes of all the sub-committees – discussing and voting on the recommendations.
(Pictured above is a new fashion shop that has appeared this week in Bury Street.)
The town council is a business in the proposed Abingdon Business Improvement District (BID). Like other businesses in the town centre it can vote for, or against, the BID, intended to promote the town centre at a levy of 1.5 – 1.7% on business rates.
The Town Council actually has 4 businesses (Guildhall, Museum, Town Council etc) and each have a vote. So the Town Council voted by 17-0 with 1 abstention to vote 4X for the BID.
There followed a discussion, and agreement, on a plan for choosing a cinema operator for the Guildhall. Adverts will go out in trade magazines looking for expressions of interest. Then operators will be asked to tender to run the future cinema. A decision about the preferred operator will be made on 11th December 2014.
You do wonder whether a pop up cinema like the one in Wantage at The Beacon (the renamed Civic Hall) might validate whether the people will use the cinema they say they want.
When the County Hall Museum was redeveloped the flag pole was trimmed, cutting off the rotten end. Now it appears that the flag pole is too short as the flags are getting snagged and damaged. This has been a false economy and a new longer flag pole will be purchased.
The Town Council is also selling some of the worn Union Flags that have graced our streets to raise money for the Mayor’s Charity fund. They will be £5 each. Email the council to get one.
A company (sounded similar to the one that half planned a last minute Retro Music festival last weekend and pulled out with 3 days to go) want to do a Christmas Market Place event in December, with council help. The council did not think the company had given enough detail to their plan, and so have not approved it.