One for the twin town followers…

Colmar Book Fair has been on for the last couple of days. The theme this year is “la nuit” – the night. A couple of visitors went to represent the Abingdon and District Twin Town Society. They took local produce for visitors to the fair to sample.

This year’s twin towns Mayors conference was also to be in Colmar, but it had to been called off late in the day because Colmar is without a Mayor. A temporary administration is in place.

The first picture shows the elected Mayor of Colmar after his win in March. He won by 50% to 49% in March.

The second picture shows the Mayor leaving office in October after the administration of Alsace annulled the election. A judicial challenge has been made against the election result and the elections will be re-run on 30th Nov & 7th Dec.

So lots happening in Colmar. All to be found on the internet.

I’ve started early this year getting charity cards from the Bear Room in the Guildhall. They have cards for sale from forty or fifty different charities.

The Scouts and Guides are operating the Christmas post service again this year. The service covers Abingdon, Radley, Shippon and Dalton Barracks, and there are post-boxes in 16 locations including the one in the Bear Room. Its 15p a card.

A possible card for next year is this one designed by Maurice, who works at the Guildhall. He would love for it to become a Macmillan Cancer Care Card. Its on display on the mantlepiece of the Bear Room.

In the Charter Day Centre for the elderly, Father Christmas was there this morning for the Charity Fayre. Its likely to be their last Christmas Fayre at the centre.

The Charter Day Centre for elderly people is preparing to move. They need more space, and are swapping places with the learning disability centre who need less space.

A display at the Christmas Fayre shows their new premises at the Abbey Centre with stage 1 and stage 2 designs.

Stage 1) Both groups will use the same building.
Stage 2) Both move to newly adapted buildings.

One worry for elderly people is that the Abbey Centre is away from the shops and the doctors. A shuttle service will ferry people between Abbey Centre and town centre.

There is a new market on the Market Place today. Traditionally Market Day is Monday in Abingdon. But this Market is on a Friday.

The Farmers Market will be held from now on, on the third Friday of Every Month. There are a few more stalls than when they were at Old Station Yard on Monday.

A lot of working people would have preferred a Saturday, but Friday is a day when it is probably easier to get enough stall holders to make it workable,

and at the same people, shopping for the weekend, can make it worthwhile.