In a thrilling round of matches in the Abingdon Wednesday 5-a-side Football League
and Division 2 divisions battled it out last night to establish their standings in Week 2 of the season
the high stakes game saw outstanding performances from some of the league's top teams
The Ballotellitubies delivered an impressive 9 - 4 victory over FCUOB
Shaggers United took down Basically Barca with a 5 - 3 result
while Spraggys Chopper FC displayed their dominance with a resounding 7 - 2 win over The Mighty Ducks
Action in the Division 1 was equally gripping
Maragonna edged out Shy Teds FC with a tight 8 - 6 scoreline in a match that had us all on the edge of our seats
Spoonies FC dismantled Billy Big Ballers with a whopping 14 - 0 score
signaling their intent for the season ahead
the results were a mix of closely fought matches and clear victories
JET FC barely managed to secure a win against Ale Stars with a 4 - 3 finish
while Hangover 96 cruised to a comfortable 6 - 2 victory against Park The Airbus
Slough Posse FC had to settle for a 2 - 2 draw against Pickle FC
While individual performances shone through
the top scorers for each division included players from Ballotellitubies
further underlining their teams' strength in this season of the Abingdon Wednesday League
Join our Abingdon 5 a side league at the link below or get in touch on 07498360608 for more information.https://www.leisureleagues.net/league/tilsley-park/abingdon-wednesday
Exciting Kick-off in Abingdon Wednesday 5 a Side Football League
The inaugural week of the Abingdon Wednesday 5 a side Football League has been nothing short of thrilling
as teams from all across the region kicked off their season
provided some intense and high-scoring matches
the Ballotellitubies outplayed The Mighty Ducks with an impressive 7-4 victory
FCUOB confidently held their fort against Shaggers United
and clinched a 7-4 win over their counterparts
Shy Teds FC had an upper hand over Spoonies FC
Ale Stars dominated their match against Slough Posse FC
while JET FC edged out Park The Airbus in a closely contested 4-3 match
The season's top scorer honours were evenly contested across divisions
and FCUOB's top scorers led the Premier League
Division 1 saw the net rattling the most from the boots of The B480 and Shy Teds FC players
the Ale Stars and JET FC strikers were in splendid form
Fans and teams alike will be eagerly awaiting the next round of games
hoping their favourites can maintain or improve their form
the Abingdon Wednesday 5 a side Football League promises even more thrilling matches in the coming weeks
water has been a major topic of conversation
With the government’s latest decision to approve the need for Thames Water’s South East Strategic Reservoir Option (SESRO) without a Public Inquiry
water will almost certainly be in the news again
John Lawson is technical consultant for Saferwaters and former head of water at Halcrow Group
Labour’s secretary of state for the Department of Environment
approved Thames Water’s 2024 Water Resource Management Plan
which includes a new reservoir near Abingdon
The 150Mm3 reservoir would be formed by a 25m-high earth bund and cover 7km2 (roughly the size of Gatwick Airport)
with a projected capital cost of £2.2bn and a completion date by 2040
It is planned to provide 271Ml/day of supplies to several water companies supplying a wide area of southern England
a leading Oxfordshire-based technical specialist on water issues
say the water companies’ own figures show the reservoir would only be needed after 2050 and then only to allow large reductions in supplies from the canal-like lower reaches of some rivers around London
Even accepting the water companies’ figures for population growth and climate change
the growth needs for water will be met by achieving the government’s targets for leakage reduction and demand management
The major driver of the supposed need for more water supplies in the south-east is planned reductions in abstractions from existing supplies to improve river flows
the so-called ‘Environmental destination’:
More than half the supposed need for water
replacing existing supplies deemed by the Environment Agency to impact river ecology
It’s true some of the reductions are in iconic chalk streams that have been severely affected by over-abstraction
particularly in the Chilterns and the River Darent in Kent
much of the reduction in supplies is in the lower reaches of rivers like the River Lea in East London and River Colne to the North of Heathrow
where the river channels are heavily modified and ecology is not dependent on river flows
The lower River Lea in East London where about 120 Ml/d of supply reductions are planned with a replacement cost of about £1bn
Equally concerning is Southern Water’s proposal to import water from SESRO to avoid the use of drought orders in the Rivers Test and Itchen
This plan comes at an eye-watering cost of £1.5bn – offering only minimal benefits through avoidance of temporary impacts in extreme droughts
Our analysis shows that the deficit forecasts assume highly improbable worst cases for environmental destination
population growth and climate change – failing to comply with the Water Resource Planning Guidelines advice that stipulates plans should be based on the ‘most likely future’
More realistic figures for population growth
and environmental destination show that a scheme like SESRO would never be needed
Proceeding with SESRO is likely to create a costly and environmentally damaging white elephant
It would divert resources away from the much-needed sewerage and water quality improvements that the public is crying out for and that Thames Water is by most measures failing to deliver
we propose an adaptive plan for the South East:
the water companies have accepted the government’s ambitious targets for leakage reduction and water efficiency
But there is a real danger that SESRO will be used as an excuse by water companies to avoid meeting these targets
The true resilience to climate change will be achieved by significantly reducing water waste and loss
not spending billions on a disputed reservoir
this information should be assessed and debated in a proper forum
A Public Inquiry is the logical next step to allow the case for the reservoir to be transparently assessed
particularly the justification for the huge
Despite vehement opposition to SESRO from local MPs
the government chose to forgo a Public Inquiry
The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) and Saferwaters are calling for a Judicial Review of Defra’s decision to refuse a Public Inquiry
With such a monumental decision affecting thousands of people and the environment
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I would love to nominate Sarah for this award as she works so incredibly hard every shift
Sarah goes above and beyond for her team and the patients
Sarah has worked in Oxford Health for many years in the Abingdon MIU department and knows the service inside and out
Sarah is always very approachable; kind and no question ever feels silly to ask
Sarah is so supportive especially if you’re having a down day
I have known Sarah the whole 6 years I have worked in this service
her knowledge and patient care is impeccable
if the shift is busy you know Sarah will bring a calm feel to the day and takes the stress away
trips away and making the work environment and colleague relationships so easy and enjoyable
Sarah really does deserve this award and to be shown as an amazing colleague
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parkrun is fairly unique in that in a social media world that is dominated by vitriol and trolling it manages to defy the big-tech algorithms and remain an almost entirely positive experience online
Sites such as the parkrun Tourism Facebook group extol the virtues of the community spirit
the shared experiences and the belief that everyone’s story is as important as anyone else’s
Occasionally there are topics that spark discussion
such as whether course records should be maintained
and one topic that does keep rearing its canine head
it is that of dogs and more specifically do dogs and parkrun mix
I am heading to Abingdon with my trusty golden labrador retriever
I picked Abingdon largely due to the dog-friendly reviews and videos I had come across online
Abingdon lays claim to be England’s oldest town and is known to me personally as the place where my daughter was a pupil at the girl’s school for seven years
This meant several early morning trips when she wanted to beat the school bus and even more evening pick ups when art club dictated
Some of my favourite conversations with her happened on those drives and my knowledge of Abingdon stems purely from her views
the town centre is “so boring” and all the boys from Abingdon School are “weird”
my research shows that the school does have impressive alumni
including a couple of Archbishops of Canterbury and
who provided the musical backdrop to pretty much all of my twenties
When I contacted the Abingdon parkrun team in the week to volunteer my services they were cautious about the chances of the event going ahead because of the incessant rain and the height of the river
It was a relief when I checked my phone on Saturday morning for there to be No Surprises and that it seemed we would remain High & Dry on the run
I wondered if The Bends might still be a bit slippery and figured it would probably be best to Creep round the first of the two laps (I promise this is the last of the intentional Radiohead references)
My normal Saturday morning routine is a parkrun
followed by a trip home to take Mac out for a walk in the woods
This morning I am combining the two and Mac looks as confused as he is excited as he jumps in the car
making it one of the most accessible parkruns I have done
By the time we arrive Mac’s excitement levels are off the charts and the sight of lots of runners
huge fields and the river are overwhelming for him
My biggest concern is that whilst Mac is a great runner he also has a tendency to stop stone dead to go to the loo mid-run and
he appears too excited for a pre-race toilet stop
At the finish Mac makes a few new fans and debriefs with a couple of other dogs who have also run
whilst I manage to grab a word with Mike and ask him his view on dogs at parkrun
He explains that at Abingdon it is never really an issue and that in his mind dogs add to the occasion
which is about normal and he explains that they very rarely have dog related issues
He says there were some people upset when the waist harnesses were banned a few years ago
I can see why on tighter courses it may be trickier
but Abingdon is open and I can honestly say I don’t think we caused any of the 323 other runners any inconvenience
There is no doubt Mac has enjoyed it and he has told me he has his sights set on being the top dog at the next run
top dogs in the official sense this week in the normal parkrun world were Joe Bates and Nicola Dawson (first male and female) and Wendy Millatt
who in her 361st parkrun at Abingdon recorded an incredible age grade performance of 79.96%
In conclusion my first parkrun with Mac was a big success and something I will certainly do again
I am also glad I picked such a great venue to experience it
and to rack up my 25th parkrun venue at the same time
It may have been grey and damp and muddy enough that I felt I couldn’t really take Mac in his filthy state into one of the two local parkrun cafes
but the support from the other runners (with or without dogs) and the fantastic volunteers made this a brilliant way to spend a very dreary morning
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This morning saw glorious sunshine but a chilly wind – some shivering at the start but perfect conditions for a run once we all got going
399 participants were set off by RD Nicky Brock and 81 certainly found the conditions perfect because there were a fabulous 81 PBs
I visited as a tourist today with my other half Martin Heighway
Unsurprising as it’s a lovely scenic course this time of year and a draw for the Periodic Table challengers amongst us
congratulations to John Bellars who completed the challenge today
the Periodic Table challenge requires parkrunners to complete 118 different events
each one representing one of the Periodic Table elements – the event needs to start with the same letter as the element and contain the element’s second letter anywhere within the parkrun name
Abingdon therefore gives challengers the fairly elusive Ag (silver) – the next nearest Ag for me would have been in Wales
Not only have I never visited Abingdon parkrun before
I don’t think I’ve ever been to Abingdon full stop
One of the joys of parkrun is the opportunities it gives me to visit new places
It’s always nice to look up a few facts about the places you’re visiting so the internet tells me:
First past the post today was Tom Rand with a new PB
Welcome to the parkrun family to William Lovegrove
all of whom completed their first parkrun today
your Saturday mornings may never be the same again
Kevin Wheeler was the parkrunner with the most runs under his belt
today’s run being his 587th (that’s a lot of years of parkrunning!)
Congratulations too to today’s milestone achievers:
Thanks as always to the whole team of volunteers
even the volunteer dog who did seem to be using the opportunity for a Saturday morning snooze
Abingdon parkrun only happens because people volunteer and I’m sure they would be happy to welcome you with open arms if you fancied having a go at being a high viz hero one week
It’s not scary and you’ll be shown what to do
Catherine Brook (A3727560) and Tom the Badger (who doesn’t have a barcode yet because 5K is a bit far for his little legs…)
Feb 15, 2025 | Abingdon, Airshow News
This year’s edition of the Abingdon Air and Country Show takes place on Saturday 14th June
the same day as the King’s Birthday Flypast over London
The flypast sees aircraft fly down the Mall in London heading west
the various elements often continue to the west before splitting up and heading to their home bases
This procedure frequently happens in the airspace around Abingdon and nearby RAF Brize Norton
2025 sees Abingdon Air & Country Show celebrate its 25th Anniversary and with the change to the June date
event organiser Neil Porter is hopeful that some of the aircraft may well be able to appear in the skies over the show
“We are hoping that some elements of the Kings Birthday Flypast which is held on the same day will be able to fly overhead Abingdon shortly after Buckingham Palace
and we can update on this closer to the time” says Neil
is a huge coup for us and will make Abingdon Air and Country Show most likely the only public event to see some elements of the flypast in clear surroundings.”
Any flypasts will be in addition to the flying displays already being planned for the Abingdon Air and Country Show
At the time of writing these including Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress ‘Sally-B‘ and the de Havilland Vampire T11
Bob Day is also scheduled to perform a couple of flypasts in his Yakovlev Yak-3UTI-PW
Further information can tickets (£20/adult, £10/seniors and £5/5-15 Year Olds) are available from https://abingdonairandcountry.co.uk/