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.

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.