Abingdon Clubs and Societies Day 2023 – 2 of 4

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Monday Night is Monday Club at Fitzharris School. It is a social club for adults with learning disabilities and a place to meet, chat, and play games. It is friendly and great fun, and they are looking for people to help. Peter Knight is the Club Leader, and if anybody is interested in knowing more, I can let you have his details.

The Abingdon Traditional Morris Dancers are happy to hear from those that may want to join them. Details are at http://atmd.org.uk/. They will next be performing on Easter Saturday, 8th April: Abingdon EggStravaganza (Market Place).

Their lego mastery has gone beyond the model of the County Hall with the lego morris dancers. They also have a hat decorated with lego flowers.

The Abingdon Cycle Club (formerly the Outdoor Traders Cycle Club) meet at the Behind Bars Bike Shop or the Market Place in Abingdon for rides on Saturday and Sunday, with an additional ride on Wednesday evenings when light.

The Abingdon and District Model Railway Club had their annual ABRAIL exhibition at Abingdon and Witney College at the start of March. A Yorkshire dock layout was on display at the Clubs and Societies Day.

They have weekly meetings to run, build and talk about model railways and have two exhibitions annually. I believe they said they will have their fiftieth anniversary next year.

The Abingdon Guild of Town Criers has eleven town criers. They are volunteers who love this town. So consider whether you have a voice you can project, a sense of drama, and a love of the town. The Guild may offer you an audition.

Peter Del at Abingdon Camera Club

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Abingdon Camera Club were at the Abingdon Clubs and Societies day. Members range from some outstanding photographers to near beginners, all with one aim – to improve their hobby in an enjoyable atmosphere.

One of the seriously good photographers was Peter Delehar. The top two pictures in the display were by him. He regularly commented on this blog as Peter Del and sent pictures, such as the one of the Lunar Eclipse in 2015.

It is with sadness that I belatedly learned yesterday of Peter’s Death. An obituary is at Obituary – Peter Delehar/. It goes behind a paywall after one view. More of Peter’s pictures can be seen on the Abingdon Camera Club website, under galleries.

Here is an extract from the obituary (I hope the family will permit this):

He originally trained as a photographer and was then attracted to dealing in antique scientific instruments. He founded the Scientific Instrument Fair and ran it for some years.

In 1985, he was diagnosed with leukaemia. He was successfully treated via a bone marrow transplant from his elder sister. With decades of support and care from the NHS, Peter survived for another 37 years.

Peter retired to Oxfordshire, where he rediscovered his love of nature photography and his local camera club. He was a lifelong member of the Royal Photographic Society.

It was Peter’s wish that donations are sent in his name to the Blood Cancer Society, a charity devoted to leukaemia research (bloodcancer.org.uk).

Abingdon Clubs and Societies Day 2023 – 1 of 4

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The Abingdon Clubs and Societies Day was at the Guildhall in Abingdon today. There were 33 stalls in 4 assembly rooms, and I will feature some of them over the next four days.

Thames Ridge Scouts provide activities for hundreds of young people across Abingdon, Appleton, Chilton, Didcot, Dry Sandford, Hagbourne, Harwell, Marcham, Kingston Bagpuize and Sutton Courtenay. They are looking for leaders to help.

Abingdon Community Walks help people to be more active with walks led by friendly leaders. Their organised walks help people to get fit, explore Abingdon, and make new friends. Contact them through vivboorman531 @ btinternet.com.

The Oxfordshire Chinese Brush Painting Group meet online and in person for lessons on practising this ancient art. During and since Covid, they have lessons from a master in China. For more information contact ocpb.art @ gmail.com.

The latest initiative from Healthy Abingdon is to set up a junior park run over a 2 km course, and they are looking for volunteers to help from 8:40 to 9:40 each Sunday. Training will be given. Contact information at https://healthyabingdon.org.uk/.

Abingdon Carousel Family Center in South Abingdon helps young families. They also have a SEND group (Special Educational Needs and Disabilities). They have 241 families currently involved at the centre and need more volunteers as they get more popular. They are supported by grants from Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council and others but still need help fundraising.

First Shops at Reynolds Way

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The shops at Reynolds Way were first recorded in the 1965 Abingdon Directory, and at that time, not all the units were taken.

The first shops were P. Holmes & Son, Bakers and Confectioners, their third shop.

Peta Ladies Hairdresser

Cottrells, butchers. Their 5th shop.

At 13/15,  Wattes (Provisions Stores).

By 1969 only P Holmes & Son was still there:
1, Durham (Fish Fryer)
3, Arnold and Son
5, P Holmes & Son (Baker & Confectioner)
7, Lowe (Ladies’ Hairdresser)
9, Wiblin (Butcher)
11, West S. Helen’s Fruiterers
13/15 Lapwoods (Provisions Stores)