The harvest festival at church is not what it used to be. At Trinity on Sunday, the congregation brought tins, pasta, and cleaning products. More money was given than produce. The produce went to the Abingdon Food Bank, and the money went to Asylum Welcome.

There were displays of flowers, apples, and pumpkins around the church, but they were just displays. Reverend Ian, the minister, reminded us of the aroma of all the vegetables and fruit at harvest festivals when we were young and the bread that looked like a sheaf of wheat.

We sang the traditional harvest hymns, such as “We Plough the Fields and Scatter” and “Come, Ye Thankful People Come,” as well as some more modern ones. So that felt like a traditional harvest festival.

Later in the day, I saw some of the harvest from the gardens of St Ethelwold House for sale. People could make a donation to buy the produce. There were hollyhock and other seeds from the garden for people to scatter in their own gardens.