The school holidays have begun.

Through the rain you can just about make out the digger, and cones already to start work. Trinity is getting some drainage work done, involving a trench across the road. It has been planned for the school holidays when it should cause least disruption.

At the top of Coopers Lane it looks like there is a lot of surface water as the rain comes down which reminds me, it is two years since the floods. It began on Saturday 21st July 2007, and people woke up early on Sunday 22nd July to flooded houses.

The Town Clerk writes on abingdon.gov.uk :

‘It is with great sadness that I write to inform you of the death of William (Bill) Wivell, former Mayor of Abingdon 1992 to 1993. Bill passed away on Monday 13th evening. His funeral is to be held at Oxford Crematorium at 12.45 pm on Monday 20th July. This will be followed at a later date by a service of thanksgiving…

As a former Mayor of the Town, the Town flag is now being flown at half-mast as a mark of respect and will do so until and including the day of the funeral, as well as on the day of the thanksgiving service.’

The Abingdon herald have a full report.

Paul Mayhew-Archer, co-author of the Vicar of Dibley, was the Compere for the day.

The crowds were as big as last year’s event.

These were the judges:
Geraldine Peers – News Presenter, BBC South
Eileen Bagshawe – Abingdon Drama Club
Patricia Hobby – Mayor of Abingdon
Giselle Ruskin – Heart FM Breakfast presenter

These are the winners:
Adam Matthews – 18 & over
Nicholas Schneider – 12-17
Miles Burton – 11 & under

There is a fuller report in the Oxford Mail thanks to Andrew Ffrench – seen here interviewing the parents of Miles, the 11 & under winner.

The Abingdon Surgery has a Swine Flu Notice in the window: “Please do not attend this GP Surgery if you are experiencing flu-like symtoms…”

The new flu pandemic has not affected many of us yet, but it has been making headlines with predictions that nationally 30% of people will catch it – that would be about 10,000 people in Abingdon.