The farewell edition of the Tithe Farm and Ladygrove newsletter has appeared, after over 40 years of keeping residents informed of local interest stories and events. The earliest known edition was from July 1971, about the time the houses were built.

For many years Lilian Barry produced a 2 sided newsletter, often handwritten, usually including one of her poems. Steve Annells took the newsletter over in the 1990s and increased the number of pages, and campaigned for the interests of South Abingdon, particularly on the subject of the Drayton Road Traffic, and Flood risks, and his real passion – Better Bus Services. For the last decade Eleanor Dangerfield has edited a very informative newsletter.

The newsletter has always encouraged people to get involved in local fetes and trips and litter picks organised by the Residents Association, and nagged people who don’t pick up their dog pooh.

The newsletter also had a regular gardening column by Martin Gulliver, and a quiz.

Then there were the adverts which helped pay for the print run and got locals in touch with local businesses.

Finally, on the back, were Town Events, Councillor Surgeries and contact numbers, and the Residents Association meetings.

Looking back through the archives the editor says “In January 1975 there is a report of the A.G.M. to which ‘sadly only two dozen members came.’

Nowadays we are lucky to get seven.”