Remembrance events have been scaled back because of the covid 19 epidemic. The Town Council is urging members of the public to observe the two-minute silence at 11.00 am on Sunday 8th November on their doorsteps.
Organisations have been laying wreaths, and individuals crosses, ahead of Remembrance Day. This is the 75th year since the end of World War II.
There are displays in some shop windows, such as this one in the Co-operative Funeral Service on Abingdon, High Street.
At the end of October I walked round Barton Fields with David Guyoncourt from the Abingdon Naturalist Society and he told me about some of the work they are doing this autumn, and pointed out some plants.
There is a wetland area down the centre, and dry grassland at the top. Round the wetland area is tall herbage. This is good habitat for Water Rail (winter), Sedge Warbler, Reed Warbler, Whitethroat & Reed Bunting (summer). It is also good habitat for Harvest Mice, whose nests they find frequently.
There were six ponds in the wetland area. Graham Bateman organised for two to be redug. He reported ‘On Monday morning (19 Oct), two of the Barton Fields ponds, which had become completely overgrown with vigorous Reed Sweet-grass (Glyceria maxima), were rejuvenated. We were ‘loaned’ a digger and driver by Fergal Construction Co Ltd, of Standlake, who have been working on the resurfacing of the Sustrans path running through Barton Fields. Ashley, the digger driver, was a delight to watch as he skilfully removed the top vegetation for stacking, then the roots and bottom mud that were delicately smoothed around the pond edges to allow any ‘creatures’ to return to water. We now have two ‘new’ ponds that would have been lost as manually they could never have been dug out.’ Graham says thankyou to Fergal and Ashley.
I returned this morning to see the progress of some other work. Whicker fences have been put up to try and protect some of the areas and so I only looked at them from a distance.
Near a pond that was originally made by the Freshwater Trust, Graham has also cleared a 300 sq m plot in the marshy, peaty area during Lock-down in which they have introduced 1000 Snake’s-head Fritillary bulbs and will be introducing other plants next year. This wetland meadow will be mowed each summer. This area also has Snipe.
In October, David showed me some of the remaining Cornfield Annuals in the Cornfield Annual Patch: Corn Marigold (yellow), Corncockle (pink flower, poisonous seeds), Corn Chamomile (white daisy flower), Cornflower (blue). This patch has since been rotovated for next year.
In October David did show me some common plants: Common Knapweed, Field Scabious, Common Toadflax, Yarrow (Achillea), Wild Carrot, Upright Hedge Parsley, Tufted Vetch, Meadow Crane’s-bill. He also showed me the rarer Small Scabious (finer leaf than Field Scabious).
Returning in November I did not see as many flowers but did see this Small Scabious with a spider and a fly.
There was also this Corn Marigold.
Among the bushes with berries are Barberry (or Berberis). This small bush has elongated red berries, and is said to harbour Ergot which can harm corn crops so is not popular with farmers. David said they planted it as a foodplant of the Barberry Carpet Moth (which they do not have yet).
Regarding reptiles, Grass Snakes are common throughout the site and lay their eggs in the compost heaps. David frequently sees young ones. Last year they introduced 10 Slow Worms, five of which we have seen again this year. They have also seen a baby this year. Another 6 adults were donated and released this year. He also showed me the pits they have dug and covered with wood and soil as refuges for slow worms. Apparently last year the police were called to one of these in the copse because somebody reported a possible grave!
The Abingdon Naturalist’s are also introducing a shrub called Purging Buckthorne – the foodplant of the Brimstone butterfly.
The work on the cycleway continues, and the contractors will be sowing wildflowers along the dug over margins beside the path.
Thankyou to David for the tour. Here are the links to the Abingdon Naturalists Group
http://www.abnats.org.uk/home.html
https://www.facebook.com/groups/abingdonnats
In March there was a country-wide lockdown, because of the sudden increase in Covid-19 cases. A few businesses remained open because they were considered to be essential – those selling food and groceries, or pharmacies.
This time round, in the second country-wide lockdown – because of the Covid-19 second wave, more businesses have been allowed to stay open. WH Smith, as a newsagent, have stayed open, while The Bookstore next door have had to close because they only sell books. That seems a little unfair.
Opticians are open. Hairdressers are closed. All the Charity shops are closed. Timpsons, and Lewis Baker, as hardware shops, are open. Estate Agents and banks are open. Jewellers, clothes shops, and phone shops, and shops selling Christmas gifts and decorations are closed.
As to the evening economy, takeaways are open, but pubs and restaurant and gyms are closed.
Schools and playgrounds have stayed open. Church services and gyms; the library and museum have closed. It has not counted that their hygiene and distancing were excellent.
There was a meeting of Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council on Wednesday evening using Microsoft Teams. I was the only member of the public to attend having requested an id beforehand by email. Councillors and officers appeared in equal size boxes and could be seen more clearly than from the public gallery. Each person also had a name and so could all be identified. The meeting went fairly smoothly. (I hope I am entitled to share a screenshot of people voting. See above.)
I read the minutes of the various committees beforehand, as they appear on the Town Council website. Most of the minutes were agreed without discussion. When it came to the Guildhall, which appears to have had heating problems in the old rooms, the Guildhall Committee Chairman noted that they would be coming back to discuss the Guildhall later, in the confidential meeting.
From a report from the Vale of White Horse District Council a consultation has been launched for residents to give their views on some proposed changes to parking arrangements in the district council’s off-street car parks. The following changes are being proposed:
– phasing out residential permits for West St Helen St and Rye Farm car parks
– adding electric charging bays to car parks, and making only electric cars parking there legally enforceable and finable
– removing the parking for lorries in the Rye Farm car park
– formalising the parking bays in Hales Meadow car park – for coaches etc.
To find about more about the proposals and to take part in the consultation visit www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/parking. The consultation is open until Thursday 19 November.
From a report from Oxfordshire County Council we learned of progress on the Lodge Hill interchange onto the A34. Land has been purchased. Initial design work is underway. The Target start is currently July 2021.
The Town Council has some policies and a half dozen of these came up for review, and Councillors voted them through unanimously without any comment.
There was a good discussion on a Motion proposed by Cllr Andy Foulsham and seconded by Cllr Alex Greenaway:
“This Council acknowledges that the absence of free school meals over school holidays is a real issue for some residents of Abingdon. We thank businesses, including Willow Shakes, Annies Tea Rooms and The Barns Cafe and organisations such as the Abingdon Food Bank, the Community Fridge and the SOFEA Larder at Abingdon Carousel that have helped by providing food for local children who are usually in receipt of free school meals over half term. In the absence of a scheme from UK government or Oxfordshire County Council to provide food to families in receipt of free school meals over the Christmas holidays, we commit to working with councillor colleagues from the Vale of White Horse District Council & Oxfordshire County Council to meet the need for such meals over Christmas in the belief that no child should go hungry.”
The motion was passed unanimously with a number of councillors volunteering their time to help coordinate efforts and help where volunteers needed help. The museum will also close during the 2nd lockdown and some staff would be available to help. This was heartwarming.
It was recommended to council that a report on long term planning is adopted as the basis for building on previous work and developing a five year plan process, before putting together a five year plan. The council is eighteen months into its four year term.
Looking back at the minutes, that were not discussed, the following items caught my attention…
New Noticed Boards have not had top priority in these strange times. The two new ones should be installed soon but an officer said ‘the social distancing rule made installation difficult.’ Also ‘Members were informed that despite several reminders the company asked to design a round notice board for the Market Place had not produced a proposal.’
All benches in St Helen’s Wharf have now been replaced with recycled wood look-alike plastic.
There have been problems along part of Wilsham Road with fishermen blocking the pathway and endangering the public while fishing. Records could not be found regarding the rights to fish along Wilsham Road. The Amenities Committee resolved that the area of Wilsham Road which is railed and has a walkway should not be used for fishing purposes, and signage provided.
At the museum a 3D ‘virtual tour’ tour has been produced. See https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/partners/abingdon-county-hall-museum. There is a youtube channel and more social media activity. The ‘Museum Crafting Crew’ Facebook page was established during lockdown and successfully carried out eight virtual children’s craft events. The museum took part in this year’s Heritage Open Day (HOD) on Saturday 19th September.
The museum was offered some of the stones from the Covid 19 snake displayed originally at the fire station. The museum collections officer welcomes being able to add to the collection something contemporary from lockdown.
The museum received a visit from two researchers from Portsmouth University who looked at the Ichthyosaur skeleton and discounted the previous identification as Ophthalmosaurus and suggested that it might even be a new species. They also corrected the arrangement of the bones in the case.
The Bob Frampton prize (single use plastic) results are show at https://www.abingdon.gov.uk/abingdon-news/abingdon-county-hall-museum/bob-frampton-prize-2020-winners .
Abingdon Museum Friends gave £1000 towards the cost of making the museum safe to reopen.
The Green Scrutiny Committee has noted the use of plastic bags at the Monday Market. Anyone going to the Fruit and Veg stall will know that stall holders have a tendency to put things into plastic bags before you even ask. So the Town Council will provide 1000 reusable branded cotton bags at a nominal price.
The Town Council has covered the cost of providing security at the Monday Market and Farmers’ Market, as required in the Covid-19 risk assessments.
There will be no big Christmas light event this year. The town centre Christmas lights be switched on sooner. They have already been installed so thats could be at anytime.