500th Abingdon Parkrun

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The Mayor of  Abingdon-on-Thames was there to congratulate organisers and runners at the start of the 500th Abingdon Parkrun.

The main organising stewards were thanked for their help in keeping the park run going.

It was cold and fancy dress was optional.

The parkrun is a free, weekly, timed 5k walk/jog/run at 9am every Saturday from Rye Farm Meadow, Abingdon.

There are two circuits so spectators can cheer the runners as they come around at the nearest turn.

Brendan, one of the 118 guys, finished ahead of the field.  Back in  November, he ran the New York Marathon.

He was followed by the leading female runner,  Anna.

Runners then went for coffee on the Market Place.  Here is a short video of the town crier and the start.

National Lottery Heritage Fund gives support to Abbey Buildings project

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The Abingdon Abbey Buildings Trust has been awarded £256,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. This is the first stage of support for their project to preserve and enhance Abingdon’s oldest building. Detailed planning work on the project will start early in 2023 and take two years.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund can then consider the plans at the second stage, where £2,500,000 could be awarded towards the full project.

Commenting on the award, Bryan Brown, Chairman of the Trust, said: “We are delighted to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players. The buildings, including the Unicorn Theatre, are a vital community asset, and it is great to know that we are a step closer to making them accessible for all, for generations to come.”

The Abbey Buildings are the last intact buildings of the Abbey of Abingdon, dissolved by Henry VIII.

The Abingdon Abbey Buildings Trust (previously called the Friends of Abingdon) saved the Abbey Buildings in 1944 and developed them into an important community asset containing the Unicorn theatre.

The Abbey Buildings are used by a wide range of community groups and host heritage events. To find out more about the Abingdon Abbey Buildings see https://abingdonabbeybuildings.co.uk/.

Since The National Lottery began in 1994, National Lottery players have raised over £43 billion for projects, and more than 635,000 grants have been awarded across the UK.

New store opened today – 15th December

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At 8 am on 15th December, the new store opened, and when I got there an hour later, the car park was almost full.

The new junction means that cars going to Abingdon must turn right and block bikes on the existing cycleway.

I went by bike and found the bike stands tucked away in the furthest corner. Some cyclists left their bikes near the entrance as a result.

Inside was bright and spacious. There was no annoying music, just trolleys clinking and people chatting. The shelves were all full, and no sign of any supermarket shortages. Shelves were tidy, and some staff tidied them even more.

The new store loves its posters and slogans. Repeated at regular intervals were downward pointing arrows with the words ‘Like super low prices – you’ll like AIdi‘. There was also ‘Make Christmas Amazing for everybody‘, ‘Amazing quality – Amazing prices‘, ‘Bakery – The best thing since sliced bread‘. The long banks of chiller cabinets said, ‘Save enough ‎CO2 per year to fill 200 double-decker buses’ That was ‘fill 3 hot air balloons’ further along.

‘Special Buys’ were in the central aisles with ‘When they are gone, they are gone‘. These were products like Christmas door mats, cushions with Christmas elves, a game called Blingo, toasters and kettles.

There were unfamiliar brands that sounded half familiar such as chocolate biscuits called ‘seal bars’ and ‘cart wheels’.

At the end of the fruit and veg aisle, you could get six items at a special price, the so-called ‘Super 6.’ This week, they were cos lettuce, broccoli, packs of easy peelers, roasting potatoes, lemons and red apples.