Monthly Archives: March 2020

Community Larder Expand work and need help and money

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Community Larder Expand work
At a time when the most vulnerable in our communities will need our support more than ever, SOFEA (South Oxfordshire Food and Education Alliance) is planning to expand its Community Larder network to provide free groceries to as many people as possible.

This means delivering hundreds of tonnes of packets and tins, as well as fresh fruit and vegetables to those who find themselves in need.

They plan to use their existing distribution network and expand it, so that they can offer food free to members of local communities.

To do this they need our support. They need able bodied healthy symptom free people to volunteer to help them with what will be a massive logistical exercise.

They have suspended membership fees to the Community Larder in order to ensure everyone who needs it can access free food. They have set up a Justgiving page and would welcome donations to help cover the cost of giving free membership. You can access this page through the link: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/sofeacommunitylarder

They had planned to start supplying people in Abingdon and have brought this forward and will be starting tomorrow (Friday 20th March).

Further pandemic precautions seen in Abingdon Town Centre

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Further pandemic precautions
Costa in Bury Street appeared to have removed its tables so that people can now only get take away drinks. Willows Shakeshop have closed ‘due to the coronavirus restrictions’ and ask customers to follow them on Facebook for updates.
Further pandemic precautions
There was a queue outside Boots, for the pharmacy, to get prescription, and pharmacy only drugs, or advice. Only a few people were being allowed inside at any one time. General shoppers appeared to be let in without such controls.

I was told that people can now only go into the doctors if they get a call to come in, and they are tested for symptoms before entry.
Further pandemic precautions
Avicenna Pharmacy was only allowing one person in at a time, and Jhoots Pharmacy only allowed three. So they both had queues outside.
Further pandemic precautions
Abingdon County Hall Museum has closed ‘due to the Coronavirus situation’.

Both Oxfam and the British Heart Foundation have closed all of their shops including the Abingdon ones.

The TSB in Abingdon has closed temporarily, but as it is due to close anyway that could be permanent.
Further pandemic precautions
Mostly Books are open, and are offering to deliver books free within a 5 mile radius.

Schools close from tomorrow for most pupils. The only pupils allowed to school will be the children of key workers, and pupils with Education and Health Care Plans.

Coronavirus – the shutdown in Lucca , and Abingdon’s twinning to Lucca through John Jones

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shutdown in Lucca
Twin town Lucca is in emergency isolation, like the rest of Italy, until 3rd April at least, because of the Coronavirus. Council offices are operating but not open to the public. The Mayor has had the virus (or at least that is how google translate renders Vista la positività del sindaco ai test sul Coronavirus … The famous medieval walls are closed to avoid gatherings. To go to work or move for health reasons a self-certificate is needed to be presented to officials overseeing the emergency. There is an absolute ban on movement for those under quarantine or who have tested positive for coronavirus.
shutdown in Lucca
If everything returns to relative normality by the end of June then the 23rd summer festival in Lucca will be headlined by Paul McCartney. This event looks very big. Bob Dylan performed in the first Summer concert in 1998, and The Rolling Stones in 2017.
shutdown in Lucca
Lucca is a bigger place than Abingdon. The town twinning with Lucca happened because of Mr John Jones. He wrote a history of the City in Italian and English.
shutdown in Lucca
As an officer in the Royal Artillery Mr Jones served in Italy in World War II, and took part in the liberation of Lucca in 1944. He loved the City and returned many times and became an unofficial ambassador, and an honorary citizen of the City. Giacomo Puccini was born in Lucca and Mr Jones loved his Operas. His early attempts to speak Italian, in a not very comprehensible but very charming way, made him many friends.

In Abingdon he became a well known local politician. He was Mayor of Abingdon in 1966, and Chairman of the Vale of White Horse in 1989, and became a Freeman of the town of Abingdon. In 1986 he was given the O.B.E by her Majesty the Queen.

He organised the twinning with Lucca in 1972. He was also honoured in twin town Colmar, in France, and Schongau, in Germany, for furthering European understanding.

Coronavirus – the social shutdown begins in Abingdon

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The day after the PM told the nation to avoid unnecessary contact and travel, and to stay away from pubs and theatres, the social activity shutdown has begun.

Most of the churches in Abingdon will be closed next Sunday.  The Methodist church said ‘It is with sadness that we recommend that worship services in Methodist Churches are suspended for the time being in line  with Government guidance.’ The Archbishops of Canterbury and York are also calling for Church of England churches to put public worship on hold  and become a ‘different sort of church’.
the social shutdown
At Preston Road Community Centre we met tonight and decided that this evening’s Bingo would be the last for a while. This did mean giving the Easter egg prizes away in one go rather than between now and Easter. But to compensate for that the Preston Road Jackpot of £200 will be won this evening.

A lot of the groups meeting at the community centre have already decided to stop meeting. That includes U3A, and the twinning society. The food bank will continue to operate but with social distancing measures.

The VWHDC (Vale of White Horse District Council) have announced the closure of:

  • Community-based leisure events and activities at their arts centres involving older and vulnerable people
  • All formal council meetings until the end of March have been postponed 

the social shutdown
The voluntary sector is very dependent on retired volunteers, many over seventy.

Oxfam cannot handle new donations because of reduced volunteers, and are likely not to open from tomorrow because they have not enough staff.
the social shutdown
British Heart Foundation cannot handle donations for similar reasons. They will also have closures when they do not have enough volunteers.

The town centre was busy on Monday with the Market in town. It was quieter today, Tuesday, but people were still stocking up on essentials. Items running low included: eggs, flour, pasta, long life milk, disinfectant, toilet rolls, paracetamol, tinned fruit and tinned vegetables. Waitrose got a delivery of toilet rolls but it was gone in 44 minutes. A similar thing happened at Savers.
the social shutdown
Chemists have run out of hand sanitisers and face masks.
the social shutdown
The two town centre surgeries are checking people before they go into the waiting room to ensure they do not have a fever or any symptoms.

The roads were quiet with people from Miele and other Abingdon companies increasingly working from home from today.