The Abbey Meadows Open Air Pool opened this Bank Holiday Monday morning at 9am. Early swimmers were impressed by the new management. The water was clean, with no algae on the walls, and as warm as could be expected.
Meanwhile on the Market Place, The Friends of Abingdon were signing up people for Bank Holiday Walks around Abingdon. The event was co-ordinated by Pat Bryden (out of shot) and very successful.
The Wilts and Berks Canal Walk was led by Martin Buckland.
The Around St Helens Walk was led by Ian Jardine, with help from Jackie Smith.
The 1556 Abingdon Boundary Walk was led by Martin Smith, and Town Crier – Penny Clover.
The Ock Valley Nature Walk, with the Abingdon Green Gym, was led by Eleanor Dangerfield
The Radley Lakes Walk, with the Friends of Radley Lakes, was led by David Guyoncourt.
The St Nicolas Church and the Lost Abbey Tour, with the Friends of Abingdon, was led by Philip Kenrick in the morning
and by by Hester Hand in the afternoon.
It was also Towel Day – celebrated every year on 25th May as a tribute to the author Douglas Adams, who wrote Hitch Hikers Guide to The Galaxy. The guide says “A towel is about the most massively useful thing an interstellar hitchhiker can have …“.
Tabitha Griffiths, preaching at Trinity yesterday, wore a towel, and a lilac sprig. The lilac was in commemoration of Terry Pratchett who recently died. Some of his fans wore the lilac on 25th May. Members of the Ankh-Morpork City Watch, in the Pratchett novel Nightwatch, wore a sprig of lilac, for identification.
Tabitha’s real topic after removing the towel and lilac was Pentecost as described in Acts Chapter 2.
Great to see the pool open again for another season. Great swim yesterday
Yes, good to see the pool open; but try finding any information! In the last month I have e-mailed VoWH twice seeking info on prices, opening hours, and the options for children this season; I have just been ignored. The offices in Abingdon, ‘we know nothing’, directed me to the Guildhall instead.. The lady on reception there tried very hard to be helpful, such a pleasant change, but was frustrated herself that they had no information themselves. I went to the pool yesterday, but the (very nice) young man wasn’t able to give me the children’s form either; said he’d e-mail it, but it hasn’t yet arrived in my inbox. If one was a conspiracy theorist, you might think this was a coordinated plot….
G, try Contacting your local Vale councillor. It’s just possible they have been given the information, or at least might know the best person to ask..
Also contact Elaine Ware, who is the cabinet member responsible.
Try this http://www.better.org.uk/leisure/abbey-meadows-outdoor-pool
So the fetching towel you were sporting on Monday was dual purpose – swimming AND Douglas Adams!
Thanks for the good walking pictures. Pat
Thank you for the weblink; I see that Under 16s do not need to fill out a form this year just turn up between 9 and 11.