Geoff says ‘This is an all too typical sight in the Long Furlong area of North Abingdon. Complaining to Biffa, the Vale or local Councillors may or may not resolve the immediate problem but long term they all have proved themselves incapable of organising a schedule that prevents this insalubrious spectacle.’
The smoke free life van is a regular visitor to Abingdon Market Place. They offer free sessions, as well as a free supply of Nicotine Replacement Therapy.
Our local Oxford Vapours shop will also help switch you from cigarettes to vaping where you can start with the same amount of nicotine as your cigarettes and then reduce.
18mg – The highest strength that we stock (highest legal strength is 20mg, though it is now uncommon) is recommended for anyone smoking 20 or more cigarettes a day.
It should be everyone’s aim to reduce their nicotine strength to the lowest dosage possible.
When you get down to a 3mg or a 0mg dosage you can still make bigger clouds than was ever possible with cigarettes – in lots of different flavours.
Thanks to Tony for this report …
Happy memories of Abingdon were exchanged at the British Embassy in Washington DC last month. It happened at a dinner with Ambassador Sir Kim Darroch for volunteers of the American and Canadian Red Cross. The volunteers, all professional and academic health experts who freely advise the Red Cross, meet twice a year to contribute their expertise to the scientific evidence base for Red Cross programmes and products. To support the collaborative relationship, Emily Oliver of the British Red Cross team, arranged for the delegates to dine at the British Embassy.
Emily, who grew up in Abingdon and attended the School of St Helen and St Katharine, persuaded the Ambassador to host the dinner, and also discovered, to her astonishment, that the Ambassador was educated at Abingdon School.
Sir Kim Darroch was delighted when Emily presented him with an Abingdon School Old Boys tie, and immediately put it on for the dinner and to pose for photographs. Emily commented afterwards: ‘Abingdon School can be proud of the Ambassador who spoke fondly of his time there and also demonstrated strong regard for the humanitarian purposes of the Red Cross Movement.’
Back in 1940, after the fall of France, the UK was at risk of a German invasion. The River Ock seems to have been consolidated as a defense line to stop the ‘Blitzkrieg’. There is a pillbox one side of the river, over by the old path of the canal.
On the other side are a set of concrete dragons teeth – positioned to stop Hitler’s tanks if they try to dodge the River and the other water-filled channels. At this time of year, the vegetation has died back showing the green dragons teeth.
Behind the dragons teeth there is an area where willows lay. They too are covered in green at this time of year.