Ernie’s Fundraising Efforts Continue as Abingdon gets Festive with Christmas Markets and Free Parking

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Ernie, a car park attendant at Coxeter House, has been raising money for Children in Need by dressing up in fancy dress throughout November. As of last night, he had collected an impressive £1,570. This morning he had a frosty start. A lot of November has been wet. Ernie’s fundraising efforts will continue until Thursday.

The Local Excellence Market marked the beginning of a series of Saturday events at Abingdon’s Market Place. Next week, the Market Place will host the Christmas Extravaganza, followed by the Christmas Craft Market.

Free parking will be available in the Vale of White Horse District Council operated car parks on the Saturdays of December 2nd, 9th, and 16th. Cllr Mark Coleman, Cabinet Member for Environmental Services, did say, ‘Whilst ideally, we’d urge everyone to walk, cycle or use public transport where possible – we recognise that being a largely rural district some people will need to use their cars to drive into town. If you can car share with others, that would also really help reduce congestion and local air pollution.’

Stories from the wardrobe exhibition

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‘I am Felicity’s hat …’

At the Abbey Buildings today, an exhibition showed clothes with stories attached, written by their owners, often in the voice of the clothes. The exhibition also highlighted the fashion industry’s environmental impact and encouraged sustainable fashion practices.

This exhibition now moves to the Council Chamber in the Guildhall, Abingdon, where you can catch it from 11am to 3pm until December 2nd.

There was also a workshop on saving the planet and some exciting baking. Participants pulled apart and shared the ‘Fashion shouldn’t cost the earth’ multi-cupcake.

Upcoming Events

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The Sea Green Singers will be singing protest songs at the Abbey Buildings. The QR code might not be readable but it links to https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/which-side-are-you-on-an-evening-of-songs-about-protest-in-oxfordshire-tickets-715713707967.

The Abingdon Extravaganza is back on 2nd December. There will be no fireworks this year as there was a significant protest after last year’s fireworks. A fuller explanation is given at : https://www.abingdonextravaganza.org/statement-about-extravaganza-23

Also on the same day is the Christmas Market at St Helen’s Church. St Helen’s is a protestant church.

From D-Day to Cold War Fears: How one Abingdon man received the news of JFK’s Assassination

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On Friday, November 22, 1963, the news of President John F. Kennedy’s assassination spread around the globe. The event occurred in Dallas, Texas, and the news reached England via ticker-tape at 6:42 pm, just 11 minutes after the shots were fired.

As the BBC’s Monitoring Service scanned the airwaves for any updates, a bulletin emerged from the Voice of America at 7:40 pm, confirming that President Kennedy was dead.

The assassination of President Kennedy is one of those moments when many people can recall what they were doing.

The audience at the Regal cinema in Abingdon were watching The Longest Day, the American film drama about the D-Day landings.

The reel paused, the lights flickered on, and after a hubbub, a hush fell, as a man appeared on stage.

He said: “I am afraid to inform you ladies and gentlemen that the President of the United States has been assassinated. We have no further information at this time.”

Elizabeth, who was there, remembered the two minute silence that followed the announcement. Mike, was a member of the Royal Air Force, and for him the news carried another significance. He thought that the potential for conflict with the USSR, a threat that had been growing, now seemed an imminent reality.

(Elizabeth and Mike’s comments were reported in ‘Cinemas of Abingdon’ by Bob Frampton. Details of the timings came from https://www.independent.co.uk/news/media/how-the-kennedy-assassination-caught-the-bbc-on-the-hop-78973.html)