The Mayor of Abingdon-on-Thames, Councillor Charlie Birks, is hosting the annual over 70's Christmas Party with Afternoon tea and entertainment for Abingdon-on-Thames’s older residents on Wednesday 18th December this year.

Do you live in Abingdon-on-Thames? Are you 70 or over? Great! Then we'd love you to come along for the festive fun.

Vale of White Horse District Council has written to thousands of residents in the district who are EU nationals from countries outside of the UK. The letter explains what affected residents need to do to remain in the UK after Brexit and signposts them to further information.

Please see the letter here with the relevant information.

Thousands of motorcyclists are expected to take part in the Ride of Respect in memory of PC Andrew Harper this Sunday. (27th October 2019)

PC Harper died while responding to a burglary in Berkshire, in August.

Participants are set to meet at RAF Benson from 9am before leaving the base at midday and riding to Abingdon Airfield.

For the latest information please see the official Facebook page here:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/808546579542118/

Residents in southern Oxfordshire who recycle food and garden waste will benefit from extra help in the next few weeks.

Hallowe’en usually means lots of leftover pumpkins at the start of November. Any that can’t be used in cooking or composting can be collected by the bin crews if left next to the food waste bin.

The pumpkins, like other food waste recycling, is taken to a processing centre in Oxfordshire where it is transformed into fertiliser and green electricity.

Extra garden waste

Voluntary and community organisations are being invited to bid for portions of Oxfordshire County Council’s new £1m two-year grant fund: Youth Opportunity Fund.

Feedback from Oxfordshire residents points to strong support for improving community-run youth services. This new fund is available to help existing projects expand and new ones get started. Grants of up to £70,000 are available.

Please see the below issued from the Oxfordshire County Council: 

Brexit information and advice

Leaving the EU means a number of changes that will affect businesses and individual citizens. The government information below explains how to prepare and the steps you may need to take.

This is a reminder that the Mayor of Abingdon-on-Thames, Cllr Charlie Birks, will be holding his Civic Service at 3pm on Sunday 20th October in the Abbey Cinema at the Guildhall.

The service will be led by Pat Winslow, celebrant Humanists UK. 

This service will be a secular ceremony which will be fully inclusive for all and seek to be an enjoyable celebration of many of the diverse aspects of Abingdon.

All are very welcome to attend. 

Anyone else already excited for next year’s Fun and Music in the park events?

Well we want your opinion!

We want to make sure we are doing the best we can and who better to ask than the people that attend it?

So please see the link below for a Survey we have produced which will help us to make this popular event even more awesome!

You have until Friday 15th November 2019 to complete the survey.

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/WPJG5ZT

Please see the below released from South Oxfordshire and the Vale of White Horse District Councils:

South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils are asking people for their views on a new strategy to address homelessness and rough sleeping.

By law, local authorities are required to publish a homelessness and rough sleeping strategy every five years - the current South and Vale strategy ends in 2020 and the councils have now launched a six-week consultation on a new strategy which would last until 2025.

Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council are once again organising the popular “Music in the Park” event.  Music in the Park has taken place in the Abbey Grounds every year since its inception as part of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee celebrations in 2012, attracting large crowds with 3,500 wristbands being made available in the spring. The next Music in the Park event takes place in the evening of Saturday 6th June 2020, following on from the popular daytime event, Fun in the Park.

Please see below released from Citizens Advice:

Your local Citizens Advice is launching its annual initiative to help people in financial need who find it hard to pay their energy bills.

The project, called the Energy Advice Programme (EAP), is going live throughout Oxfordshire South and Vale from October to March 2020. It includes comprehensive steps to help people who have to spend a significant proportion of their income on fuel bills.

At an EAP appointment our advisers, depending on your particular problem, can do one or more of the following:

Please see below from the Vale of White Horse District Council 

Council staff to visit homes that haven’t responded to the yellow Household Enquiry Form

Released on 7 October 2019

In the coming days staff from South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils will be visiting homes whose occupants have not updated their details following requests via the yellow ‘Household Enquiry’ form.

The councils need this information to make sure everyone who is eligible to vote is able to do so in forthcoming elections.

The Abingdon Michaelmas Fair will take place on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th October from 12 noon to 11pm each day.

Please see below from Citizens Advice: 

''Citizens Advice Oxfordshire South and Vale is looking for volunteers to work in our friendly offices in Abingdon, Didcot, Faringdon, Henley and Thame.

As well as volunteer advisers, we also need receptionists, IT specialists and administrators.

Once trained, volunteer advisers can make a real difference to our clients by helping them overcome problems they face with benefits, debt, employment, housing or family relationship issues.

Sunday 22 September is World Car Free day and South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils are offering drivers in the districts the chance to win a prize – if they give their vehicle a rest on that day.

World Car Free Day has been running for 25 years. Cities, towns and villages take the opportunity to raise awareness of air pollution and air quality by encouraging people to leave their cars at home for the day and choose alternative forms of transport.

Sunday 22 September is World Car Free day and South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils are offering drivers in the districts the chance to win a prize – if they give their vehicle a rest on that day.

World Car Free Day has been running for 25 years. Cities, towns and villages take the opportunity to raise awareness of air pollution and air quality by encouraging people to leave their cars at home for the day and choose alternative forms of transport.

Abingdon Michaelmas Fair will take place on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th October from 12 noon to 11pm each day.

Abingdon Michaelmas Fair will take place on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th October from 12 noon to 11pm each day.

Abingdon Michaelmas Fair will take place on Monday 7th and Tuesday 8th October from 12 noon to 11pm each day.

Please see the below from the Vale of White Horse District Council: 

Residents who haven’t responded to their yellow ‘Household Enquiry’ form are being urged to do so as soon as possible.

Last month, South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Councils sent a yellow letter to all homes across the two districts requiring people to confirm everyone over the age of 16 who currently lives in their property.