Following a Palm Sunday service at Trinity Church, sixteen people (some pictured here) processed around Albert Park, Abingdon. The group shared the spirit of Palm Sunday through song and by handing out palm crosses, commemorating Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem at the start of Holy Week.
Here are some pictures from the blog in previous years. Palm Sunday is the Sunday when churches go outdoors and hire donkeys.
On April 12th, 2025, while Abingdon slept, Duncan Bhaskaran Brown put on his bells and ribbons for what he described as a mad challenge: over 11 hours of Morris dancing to raise funds for charity and to set a world record.
Starting at 5:00 AM, Duncan was joined by a small group of Morris dancers and official monitors. Every step was meticulously logged for verification, with a video camera capturing the entire event for additional proof.
Throughout the day, supporters dropped by, including Layla Moran, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon.
There were a group of Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers to support Duncan, and they also danced a couple of dances.
At about 4:10 PM, Duncan completed the challenge, and the video above captures the last 2 minutes.
Duncan was then greeted by wife, Sreeja, and daughter.
Duncan raised over £1,500 for the Mayor’s Charities: One Planet Abingdon and the Abingdon and District Volunteer Centre. One Planet Abingdon provided children’s activities on the day. One of their main stays is their volunteer Graham who is always on hand to lift equipment and help set things up. The Volunteer Centre showcased a car used to transport people to hospital appointments.
The Gathering Space opened on March 2nd, occupying the former Lounge Bar premises, which closed after its proprietors retired.
Situated next to The Clockwork Dragon, The Gathering Space is a board games café offering a dedicated venue for sociable games. The popularity of face-to-face gaming has been growing in recent years, with similar activities seen at Willows Shake and Preston Road Community Centre.
As well as board games, it hosts The Abingdon Sunday Social (10:00 AM – 4:00 PM), a space to meet friends, family, or make new connections.
Craft groups also hold sessions here. For example, on April 17th, there’s an evening of spring wreath-making.
From May, a regular Whist group will begin there.
It’s been six months since the pavement near the top of West St Helen Street was first blocked off (see blog on 9th October 2024), due to an unsafe building. People using wheelchairs and mobility scooters still have to make detours to get around it, or go in the road.
The Co-op was the first to put an advert on the fencing around the area. I would guess their business is impacted. Now there’s also one from a Jamaican café. The Jamaican café used to be in the building that became unsafe, and had to close because of it. I think it’s probably the same people.
It looks like repairs will be costly, and whoever is responsible may still be sorting things out — possibly with insurance. But there haven’t been any clear updates, and nothing has been put in place to help pedestrians and wheelchairs.