The Christmas Lights in the town centre were all on this evening for the first time. They have been half-on for the last week.
Normally there is pressure to get everything ready for the big celebrity switch-on. This year there was no S Club 2, Spice Girl, or a celebrity from the Vicar of Dibley.
This evening there was no crowd, no fireworks and no celebrity, but it did all come together. Three cheers …
Wantage managed to organise and hold a Dickensian evening, a great shame that Abingdon couldn’t do anything this year.
https://www.heraldseries.co.uk/news/19765607.dickensian-evening-marks-start-festive-season-wantage/
Neither Abingdon nor Didcot ran their main events. This was reportedly in Didcot’s case because of planning difficulties amongst Covid uncertainties. This may well have been a factor in Abingdon as well, but the Chamber of Commerce – who organise the ‘Extravaganza’ – say that they get too few volunteers amongst their members, and that it takes too much of the time of the few without advancing their goals. Perhaps the Chamber will pick it back up again next year if more businesses volunteer, or perhaps it will transfer to the Events Partnership who are now running the Local Excellence market or to the Town – but in any case I’d imagine that both funding and volunteers will be an issue.
Paul Townsend, and friend Stewart and Heather Brown are now running the Local Excellence Market and Craft Fair and so they, rather than the Chamber, might pick it up next year.
While a nice event, the Wantage evening is nowhere near on the scale of the Abingdon Extravaganza, planning and making bookings for it (which cost money and need sponsorship) needing to be made at the start of the year, when no one knew where we would be covid wise. This is on top of the almost total lack of volunteers. Badger – have you volunteered?
Neither the Wantage nor Didcot events are run by the Town Councils, nor has the Abingdon one been for many years now. They are all run by volunteers of some kind, whether from local businesses or the wider community.
Given the widespread disappointment about the absence of this year’s event, lets hope that if those willing to take the lead on it next year put out a call for helpers, plenty will be forthcoming. NB the work will need to start early in the New Year.
Hopefully all those moaning about it will come forward and volunteer