Today we wore our wellington boots because gusty winds and heavy rain continued. On Stert Street, the surface water was splashed towards pedestrians and shops.
Surface water was also on this corner of Park Road and Conduit Road.
Lighter showers are predicted tomorrow.
The new Premier Inn, being built next to the Tesco Extra, has gone up fast since my last visit and will have 86 rooms.
In 2018 the Abingdon Oxford hotel became the Hilton Garden Inn and more than doubled in size with 84 new rooms in the four-story extension. So between them, that is an extra 170 hotel rooms since 2017.
The older, smaller Premier Inn is still there on Marcham Road, and I have not heard any news about it changing use.
The hotel business sector took a large dip in trade in 2020 and 2021 because of the Covid pandemic but is nearly back to normal trading levels according to Statista.
The current cost of living crisis, particularly the increase in heating costs, has led to many people struggling to heat their homes. This is often compounded by loneliness and isolation.
That’s why The Church in Abingdon has created five Warm Spaces across Abingdon where anyone can go to heat up, have a warm drink and enjoy a little company. It goes on until the end of March (2023).
Mondays
11 am – 4 pm, from 9 January 2023
St Edmund’s Catholic Church, 1 Oxford Road – Parish Centre (01235 847804)
Hot lunch, refreshments, conversation, games
Tuesdays
1-4 pm, from 10 January 2023
Peachcroft Christian Centre, Lindsay Drive (01235 530227)
Warm drinks, comfy chairs, quiet workspace
Wednesdays
12 -2 pm (The Sanctuary)
Abingdon Salvation Army, 12 West St Helen’s St (01235 523586)
Tea, coffee, Wi-fi, conversation, games
Thursdays
12.30-4.30 pm, from 5 January 2023
Christ Church, Northcourt Road, The Barn (01235 539172)
Hot drinks/soup, conversation
Fridays
2-4.30 pm
Abingdon Baptist Church, 35 Ock Street (01235 530080)
Tea. Coffee, squash, biscuits, conversation
3957 warm welcome places in the UK are registered at https://www.warmwelcome.uk/, including Abingdon Library and One Planet Abingdon (under the museum).
The latest exhibition at Abingdon Museum features trains that once ran on the Abingdon branch line,
planes that flew from RAF Abingdon,
and automobiles made at the Abingdon MG works. The exhibition has interesting display boards and a series of films about the different transports. I have not seen them all yet but found the film about the closure of the branch line very good.
The exhibition is from 7th January to 26th March 2023 on the museum’s first floor, up 37 steps. Find out more at https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/event/exhibition-planes-trains-automobiles-7-01-to-26-03-2023