Crowds lined the banks of the River Thames for the 17th annual dragon boat racing organised by the Rotary Club of Abingdon Vesper.
The Mayor of Abingdon, Councillor Alice Badcock, attended the event, and can be seen here with the Printer Pirates before their first race.
There were 19 teams, listed in the programme, battling it out against other teams on the river. Money raised by teams through sponsorship goes to their own charity and towards charity projects organised by Rotary Club of Abingdon Vesper.
Community stalls were also there raising money for charity and promoting forthcoming events. For example, the next Race for Life from the big pink battle HQ is a muddy obstacle course in South Park, Oxford on 17th September.
Also there to make it a complete family fun day were a funfair, music, and refreshments tents.
The pirates look way to happy for pirates!
Seems like fun event.
Totally of topic (for which I apologise) but anyone else seen on the vales planning portal an application to convert the Clock House and the building behind from offices ( lloyds banking group) into 16 one bed apartments, 7 two bed apartments and two 3 bed properties? Problem being with 36 bedrooms there are only 17 parking spaces provided, as if we haven’t got enough problems already ?
Ties in perfectly captain – Abingdon is up a creek without a paddle. We’ve all been sold down the river… The news makes me feel flat.
There, that should do it.
Ha ha Daniel, very good, but it does concern me that we are rapidly becoming a dormitory town ? Take West St Helens for instance, Age Concern being converted into flats, the old Lansbrough estates already converted, ditto Withy King, the beauty shop has an application for convention too, then the new Co-op has considerable amount of flats above it, a quick add up suggests at least 30 flats, all with no parking have been created in just one street! How many in the old Thames Water building? 22? 12 above Wetherspoons, 4 in the old Buckle & Balard building I think over 20 are planed for building next to the old Plough pub? 6 in the old Cross Keys now 25 in the clock house, little wonder the towns grid locked and the side streets ( and pavements) are blocked with dumped cars !
These are the sort of issues where a Neighbourhood Plan could make a difference: while it can’t conflict with the wider Local. Plan, it can help by setting standards over things like parking provision and (I think) mix of use.
Well it needs something Hester and a bit quick too! You know where I live? It’s 8.45 am, I’m looking out of a bedroom window and can see traffic backed up from the wagon and horses traffic lights to Abingdon town FC, and it’s a role reversal in the afternoon, traffic has now backed up from West St Helens st, past the wharf, over the iron bridge and along Wilsham rd as far as Saxton, and that generally means the Drayton rd is grid locked too?
What’s more spending zillions on a diamond interchange will have no impact on this situation, it’s a second river crossing that’s needed !
For once I don’t disagree Capt K. The question is, how to get it done – especially since Morland Gardens has been built pretty much on the land earmarked for the access road to it.
As we will hear from Jackie Smith’s talk on Thursday about the history of the current bridges (unsubtle plug there!) they were planned and financed by the “great and the good” of the time – wealthy local merchants, whose trade would have benefited considerably from the improved transport routes. Now there’s a thought…..
The trouble is Hester, while that is a fantastic idea…there IS no trade left in Abingdon…it has all been converted to flats/housing?
Now…what about a crowd funding plan for a river crossing…..? Could be a first and give Abingdon some publicity into the bargain?
The Ock Street and Marcham Road crossings were to clear up all the south Abingdon traffic woes. The ex-spurts and con-sultans said it would, and David Nimmo-Smith concurred – and he’s really important.
The great and the good and crowd funding is already paying for this – it’s called “taxes”… those taxes are supposed to provide for our well being and infrastructure. But they aren’t. So something’s wrong.
Perhaps we should have a con-sultan employed or an ex-spurt paid to look in to where all the money is going?
captain – just think of all that extra council tax (and parking permits) those flats will bring…if only we could spend that money on something useful…hmmm….
Does the BID have a view on the traffic situation?
I think we are just being pessimistic. It’s only for a few hours a day that things are this bad…at 3am the roads are clear – so David and the “con-spurts” were actually right…so, let’s all look at the pretty flowers and count ourselves lucky that “most of the time” the traffic is fine.
Unfortunately, Daniel, the incompetent Nimmo-Smith has moved on to cause chaos elsewhere. This creature knows no shame.
I liked Hester’s description of the appalling ‘sculpture’ on the riverside of the Old Gaol as a ‘portal’. Full marks, Hester.
Perhaps, during the forthcoming Heritage Day Medieval-Foot-Fighting sports on the willow-less lawn we could have ‘Portal Jumping’, This would require our local politicians to take a running-flyer through the hole in the polo, with points for distance.
With luck they would disappear to a different time, space and dimension. With less luck one of the better grazed councilors would smash the hideous thing.
I’m sorry, I’ve just had a ‘moment’. An out-of-reality experience of the type where you think bunging a few traffic lights anywhere at all will turn the traffic around like an unstoppable tide of water. My imaginary advisers (The Spirits of King Canute’s Court) told me this could happen, before they whispered that they had to be off as Nimmo-Smith was in need of urgent guidance.
As an aside. For those who don’t know, it’s backstreeter who’s a leading light behind Heritage Day. The guy’s a tireless machine. The Town is lucky to have him.
Whoever denied him the Mayor-hood should die of shame.
I can’t claim credit for the “portal” – it was someone else on here, but I liked the image it conjured up so have stuck with it.
Ten out of ten for honesty, Hester. As soon as the words are out of your mouth,, or flying from your fingertips, the copyright is lost. Totally impressive that you ‘came clean’ and respect to the originator who ‘nailed’ the ‘taste-bypass’ that the portal is …
Someone decided to place this effluent on the Old Gaol river bank and we don’t know the senseless nincompoops who gave permission. Who’s sleeping with the artist? Sorry, shouldn’t write that… but it’s just rubbish.