Two new Abingdon magazines have hit the streets!


After a fact finding visit to Abingdon Community Hospital, a group of Year 5 children from Thameside Primary School have produced “Thameside Tiger Hospital Care“, a fully-illustrated introduction to the staff they met during their visit, and what services the hospital provides … including podiatry, where they look after your feet, and Radiographer, the person who does X-Rays. This is a great introduction to the hospital!

Meanwhile, Thomas, Oliver, Miya, Harry, Jamal and Phoebe, from Year 6 at St Nicolas C of E Primary School, interviewed Councillor Lesley Legge, from Abingdon on Thames Town Council, and Heather Brown from The Choose Abingdon Partnership. Their magazine St Nicolas world of Abingdon explains some of the ways in which Abingdon caters for tourism. They had some interesting questions and answers. For example

“We wondered why Abingdon changed its name to Abingdon on Thames.”

“They replied that technically it has always been known as Abingdon on Thames. The Thames is a high profile marketing name which is good because if someone types Thames in to Google it will come up with Abingdon..”

Both magazines, and a good number before, are the result of workshops run by TrinityLearning, with the help of The Community Covenant. The project enables forces and local children to find out about their community and work together as a team. Thanks to the help of Welfare Officers at Dalton Barracks, every family stationed there will receive a copy of both magazines. (The magazines are quite big and take time to fully download from the links provided above.)

Shop Moves that begin on 28th November (a chain reaction)


On November 28th New Look will be moving into one of the larger new shops along Bury Street.

At about the same time Philosophy Hairdressers will be moving to the Market Place.

The newsagents currently known as ER Goff  are approaching the end of their lease at Bridge Street, and think a move  just around the corner into the premises vacated by Philosophy will make sense.

They will become Simon’s News. Mr Simon Escreet is the Proprietor.

Just over the road from Simon’s News, the premises vacated by The Bowls Shop – and used by Outdoor Traders as a second shop between whiles, is to become Sean Antony Hairdressing. Sean is moving in town from Ock Street.

Good Luck to all of them.

What’s on This Week – Posters seen at Mostly Books, Abingdon Library …


On Wednesday afternoon: ADFAS have a talk on ‘Old Father Thames – The River in Art’, at the Guildhall.

On Wednesday evening : ‘How can we make Transition real?’ at St Ethelwolds.

On Thursday: ‘The clothes of an ordinary woman in the seventeenth century’ at the Northcourt Centre Hall.

On Saturday: a Christmas Bazaar at Christchurch – all proceeds to N.S.P.C.C.

And on Saturday: a rival Christmas Bazaar at Long Furlong Community Centre in aid of Long Furlong Buggy Club.

On Saturday evening: a once in approximately five year opportunity to hear a live concert of Mozart’s Requiem in Abingdon at St Helen and St Katharine School.

Children in Need, and Philippines Disaster Appeal – This Weekend


The annual Children in Need charity event took place yesterday – where the BBC devotes the evening’s broadcasting, and many celebrities devote their time, to raising money for Children in Need. There were probably lots of fun events in schools and work places in Abingdon to raise money for Children in Need. I did see The Kings Head and Bell had a Chilli eating contest.

Today (the morning after) shoppers going to Waitrose in Abingdon were met by Rotary Club members with buckets for the Philippines Typhoon Haiyan appeal. There were also buckets in a number of other shops.