To the north of Abingdon, there is a tiny little church building called the Peachcroft Christian Centre. Such a small building might suit many of todays dwindling church congregations, but the Peachcroft Centre is rather popular, especially with young people. They go from all over Abingdon to the church led by the Reverend Steve Godfrey.

So the congregation have set about raising the sum of £560000 to make an extension possible, and last week the Mayor (Alison Rooke) was shown in the Abingdon Herald wielding the first spade.

At the corner of Lombard street and West St Helen Street, the blinds have been down on the shop front, since the last occupant left. The only indication that the shop was under new management was a ? in the window. Something inside was stirring. Yesterday it was open, and there were balloons in the window.

It was like a butterfly emerging from a crysalis. The shop sells polished crystals, and calming things like incense sticks, and little Buddhas. It is all layed out in a calm pleasing way.

7 Market Place was until recently Black Inc. It was a shop selling clothes for young Goths. In Abingdon there are groups of young people like townies (who dress fairly smart with sportswear and caps), and Goths (who dress in black and usually have hair dyed to match). Black Inc was a shop for Goths, run by Jan (pronounced Yan), who had a family of young Goths to support him.

However the Abingdon Goths did not have enough money to keep the shop Black, and now as is the way of such things, it has all been repainted white.

On Monday it will open as Scuffs – a shoe shop for kids.

We are not talking about the Yorkshire home of Postman Pat, but Abingdon’s very own Glendale. It is a shop that sells electrical goods in West St Helens Street.

(This picture borrowed from Abingdon Walks). You can go in with a problem, and they’ll know just the part you need, and have it in one of the little drawers or boxes behind the counter. Or if not, they can write it down in their little order book, and order it, and phone you when it is in. It carries on in an old fashioned sort of way.

Life is difficult at present because the Co-op next door is closed for rebuilding, and so fewer people need to come down their way. More people nowadays order electrical goods on the internet. They appear to be a couple of men, who are buying and selling the things that interest them, but really they need somebody to help make the window display sparkle, and get more punters in.