Bring Pooh Sticks to Abingdon in 2015

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Bring Pooh Sticks to Abingdon
The World Pooh Sticks Championship have been held a few miles downstream from Abingdon, at Day’s Lock, since 1983. The competition has grown and the organisers are looking for a new home. They require: a bridge with room for six competitors; over a river with a moderate flow at all times; where there is no risk of hitting passing boats. The site also needs nearby parking for over 300 vehicles, and room for side entertainments.
Bring Pooh Sticks to Abingdon
At Abingdon Bridge there is plenty of room for parking and side entertainments, and the flow is moderate. The main objection might be that competitors would have to cross a busy road to see their sticks re-emerge the other side.
Bring Pooh Sticks to Abingdon
We play pooh sticks on the River Ock near Abingdon town centre.
Bring Pooh Sticks to Abingdon
But the current here is too extreme for a world championship. Sticks plummet over a weir and can get caught in the back tow.

But if anybody does know of a good venue in Abingdon, or way round these problems, please let the Bring Pooh Sticks to Abingdon in 2015 campaigners know. It would be very good if this event could come to Abingdon.

(Pooh Sticks was invented by A.A Milne for his son Christopher Robin – named after his son’s bear Winnie-The-Pooh. The game requires contestants to drop a stick from a bridge into a river. The competitive element is seeing whose stick crosses the finishing line first.)

Wind blown bins, Recycled Christmas Trees, and Plaster Fall

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Wind blown bins
After this Saturday morning’s recycling collection, next week’s collection should be back to the normal Thursday or Friday schedule. A lot of the empty bins got blown over after a windy night, and quite a lot of rubbish before it was collected. Our green food bin disappeared completely – probably not down to the wind.
Recycling Christmas Trees
People had started leaving trees for recycling on the Market Place fairly early, and the barriers appeared to have been blown about overnight.
Plaster Fall
Andrew sent me a picture of some plaster that had fallen in the Strollin tunnel.
Recycling Christmas Trees
Soon after 9am the big tree was cut up, and its branches were recycled along with smaller trees – from the homes of Abingdon.
Plaster Fall
By 9am Police had cordoned off the Strollin Tunnel.

Jan 2015 Flood Fair report

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Flood Mitigation
A flood and bad weather fair was put on by the Town Council at both Long Furlong  and Preston Road Community Centre.
Flood Mitigation
There was an array of ingenious gadgets designed to protect homes and possessions from floods.

There was the chance to pick up leaflets about what to do in the event of a flood, or other types of bad weather.
Flood Mitigation
The Environment Agency were also there to explain more about the three flood mitigation schemes being looked at for Abingdon.

Central government is now putting more money in to flood prevention, but expects more money from local partners in return.

Feasibility studies have already been done on the two simpler Abingdon schemes: to reduce flooding from the River Stert, and the River Ock at St Helens Mill. They could get the go ahead for design in Spring 2015.

During 2015 data would also be gathered to model the River Thames (Sandford to south of Mapledurham) and the River Ock Storage Area.

A River Ock flood storage area is the long term flood prevention proposed for Abingdon. It would hold back water outside Abingdon and release it more slowly.

Modelling would first show whether a flood storage area on the River Ock is viable. If viable then a feasibility study could begin in 2016.

The River Ock scheme will be looked at separately from the Oxford scheme, and for either scheme to go ahead they must demonstrate they will not make flooding worse downstream.

Petrol Prices at the Pump about the same in 2015 as in 2009

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Abingdon Loyalty Card
Petrol prices at the pump in Abingdon are 113.9p per litre at BP in the Vineyard, 112.9p at Esso, and 111.9p at Tesco – the last time I looked.

Prices are much the same when I drive up the A34, but heading through Bicester I see 107.9p and 106.9p per litre advertised. Bicester looks the nearest place to Poundland for petrol that I have seen …

In the news over the last 24 hours … “The price of Brent crude oil has fallen below $50 a barrel for the first time since May 2009.” and “The eurozone fell into deflation for the first time in more than five years” on the back of falling oil prices.

Petrol Prices at the Pump look about the same in 2015 as they did in 2009 – but they looked expensive then.