There is a “Don’t steal, cook or kill fish” poster on the Wilsham Road railings.
Underneath there is a multi-language commentary about fishing in the UK for anglers from the flagged countries. Basically it says that all anglers need to get a licence and to know the byelaws put there to protect migratory and freshwater fish stocks from damaging fishing practices.
About ten years ago Trinity Church got a new mission statement: “Serving God, Serving Each Other, Serving Community”
The 3 notice boards at the back of the Welcome Area were given those same three titles.
Trinity Learning, which does work supporting schools, has taken over the middle board, and so now there is: Serving God, Children, and Serving Community.
In December 2015 posters on the ‘Serving Community’ board include:
* Health and Safety at work Act
* Scouts & Guides Christmas Post. (Last collection yesterday.)
* New Years Walk for Christmas Aid on January 1st.
* Volunteers required for Leonard Cheshire Disability Volunteers.
* Every year there is the opportunity to write cards to Prisoners of Conscience with details provided by Amnesty International.
* Friends of Abingdon are looking for a new Manager / Curator.
* Oxford Community Soup Kitchen need people to help Mrs Smith
* John Radcliffe League of Friends need helpers
* St Michael’s Church have a group in the new year studying the Psalms. (That one could be moved to the ‘Serving God’ noticeboard.)
I saw in a 1950s Who’s Who of Abingdon that inhabitants of our town were once known as Abendonians.
Here is a 1950s picture of Richard, now aged 65, beside the fountain in Roysse’s Court that was destroyed in 2015. What a shame!
In the 1950s a shoe-fitting x-ray unit was a common shoe store device, and people were encouraged to go every 2 or 3 years to the mass X Ray vans that came to town to check for TB.
Trinity Church had Chapel, Society and Poor Stewards. As I understand it chapel stewards helped look after the fabric of the building, society stewards looked after running church meetings and the needs of church members, and poor stewards helped look after the poor.
Somebody was telling me on Saturday of that same decade, and how they sipped Morland’s lemonade by the River at the Old Anchor Inn. They didn’t very much like the lemonade because it was too fizzy, but they did like watching the House Martins that nested under the eaves.
The Craft Market – postponed from last week – took place yesterday. Most of the stalls were able to make the rebooking at short notice. There was rain early on but it soon cleared.
Break4Cake, with Christmas Stollen, and other continental cakes, was there.
The Mayor of Abingdon was also visiting.
There were also reindeer, but no sign of Father Christmas.
The Abingdon Lions have been taking him on a nightly journey round most of Abingdon. The journey will soon be complete. Then he will be allowed back home to prepare for his biggest night of the year.