A week of Carol Concerts at St Helen’s Church

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This week, St Helen’s Church has been a hub of activity as local schools bring in large groups of students for their Carol Concerts. These gatherings attract up to 700 young people at a time, filling the church with all the additional chairs.

The services are primarily led by the schools’ own chaplains or teachers and St Helen’s staff play a supportive role. The majority of the organisational work, including managing the large groups of children, is handled by the school staff. On Monday was the Abingdon Prep School Carol Concert; on Tuesday Our Lady’s Abingdon Carol Concerts (there were two); today, Thursday, the Manor Prep School has a day of Concerts; and tomorrow is the Abingdon School Carol Service.

It will then be the end of term for all these schools, which are not in the state sector. The state schools have another week to go. Their carol concerts are next week.

One unique aspect of St Helen’s preparations is the Jesse Tree, a Christmas tree that depicts the lineage of Jesus Christ. Each day, additional figures are added to the tree.

An Arcadian Christmas Concert is at St Helens Church on Saturday. The Arcadian Singers are a student-run chamber choir based in Oxford.

Abingdon Homebase: Closing Down Sale

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It’s a difficult time for staff at Abingdon’s Homebase store, which is set to close. The closure is one of many nationwide after the company, owned by Hilco, went into administration last month. While some branches were bought by the owner of The Range, Abingdon wasn’t among them, and no buyer was found for most of the remaining stores.

There’s no official closing date yet. For now, the store is holding a closing-down sale. Notices say ‘Administration Sale’ and ‘Store Closing: Everything must Go’. It is the busiest I have seen the store since it opened in September 2021. There are far more staff than usual.

Shoppers can find some big discounts, with Christmas trees and decorations going for 50% off. Other products are 50% or 40% off.

There must be a science to applying discounts in a closing down situation. There is 10% off paints and fleeces.

It’s a sad end for the store and staff who must be facing a worrying Christmas, but at the same time, the rest of us don’t want to miss out on a good deal.

Festive Yarn Bombing at St Helen’s Wharf

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During the first week of December, the row of bollards along St Helen’s Wharf in Abingdon was decorated with crochet covers. The robin and Christmas pudding designs alternate. Last year there were just Christmas Puddings and half of those have reappeared for the second year joined by well rounded robins.

Somebody’s hard work has brought festive cheer to this picturesque spot by the Thames.

The Magic Midget becomes The Roaring Raindrop

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The Midget pub in Abingdon is set to reopen on Friday, December 13th, 2024, under a new name: The Roaring Raindrop. The new name pays tribute to the last record-breaking MG car made in Abingdon.

The old name honoured the record-breaking 750cc MG ‘Magic’ Midget cars of the 1930s, produced in Abingdon. It was a clever name as MG appears in both Magic and Midget.

The pub has been closed for a revamp and rebranding following an online petition signed by over 1,000 people who objected to the name ‘The Midget’ which when applied to small people is insulting. The name was changed from ‘The Magic Midget’ to ‘The Midget’ in about 2002.

The address of the pub is The Roaring Raindrop, Midget Close, Abingdon, Oxfordshire.