Appeal for Witnesses following a Burglary

The incident occurred between 9.30am and 5pm on Friday 11th December where offenders gained access a property in Masefield Crescent via the rear garden.  Offenders cut the wire to the security light and forced open a rear window.

Nothing is believed to have been stolen.

If you have any information, CCTV or doorbell camera footage from around the time of the incident, please contact the Police using their online form or by calling 101, quoting Reference Number 43200419989.

Alternatively you can contact the independent charity Crimestoppers anonymously via their website or on 0800-555-111.

A little oops!!!

Please note on the winter 2020 newsletter distributed recently, the link for both the Quiz and Children's Colouring Competition are slightly wrong.  The Quiz should say https://tflra.weebly.com/quiz.html and the Colouring Comp should say https://tflra.weebly.com/colour-comp.html - both links of course can be found here on our site.

Pavement resurfacing begins ....

The long awaited pavement work has begun on Tithe Farm / Ladygrove with workmen currently in Francis Little Drive.  They are starting with a month of preparation work and planning on doing the main resurfacing from early December.

Covid Girls Charity Calendar 2021

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Finally ... the long awaited, eagerly sought after

COVID GIRLS CHARITY CALENDAR 2021

in aid of The Abingdon Bridge and Abingdon Foodbank

This unique and (soon to be) highly collectable purveyor of dates is available NOW from participating shops in the town centre, or contact Diane Livesley (Miss August) on 07798877882

Makes the ideal 'support your local charities' Christmas gift for £9.99

100% of all sale proceeds go directly to these charities

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Resurfacing the Pavements

Prep works in Abingdon are currently scheduled to start 4th November with the main surfacing following on from 4th December. A further letter/leaflet will be delivered a few days in advance of the slurry surfacing.

Repair - Inspection Chamber

It only took two years…..   After three complaints on FixMyStreet over the years, the grid has finally been replaced on the open inspection chamber in the alley way between Mill Road and Tennyson Drive.  The landmark cone over the hole has gone.  This may have been done, of course, as part of the planned pavement repairs by Oxfordshire County Council or it might have been as a result of our complaints.  Pleased it has been done, just wish it hadn’t taken so long.

Current Crime Trends

Over the past few months there has been an increase in Courier frauds in South Oxfordshire and The Vale of White horse areas.

What is Courier Fraud?

A courier fraud is where a fraudster telephones a potential victim, claiming to be from their bank, the police or another law enforcement authority.  They then trick the person into revealing their PIN and agreeing to hand over their debit or credit card or ask the person to withdraw money from their account.

What should I look for?

Calls where someone claims to be from your bank or the police.  They may say that a fraudulent payment has been spotted on your card, or that someone has been arrested using your details and cards.

They may then ask you to ring back using the phone number on the back of your card.  This is to make you believe that the call is genuine. But the fraudster keeps the line open at their end, so you are actually connected straight back to them or an accomplice.

They will ask for your PIN, or sometimes ask you to key it into your phone’s handset.

The scammer then sends a courier or taxi to pick up your card from your home.  It is possible the driver does not know they are being used as part of the scam.

Once they have your card and PIN, the scammer can spend your money and will withdraw large amounts from your account.

Key Facts

• Your bank will never send a courier to your home
• Your bank and the police will never collect your bank card
• Your bank and the police will never ask for your PIN
• The police will never call you to inform you of being a victim of a fraud
• If you receive one of these calls, end it immediately

If you think you have been scammed or you’ve found something which looks like a fraud or a scam contact Action Fraud online or call 0300 123 2040 or call Thames Valley Police on 101.

Abingdon Heritage Weekend 2020

European Heritage Days were set up in 1991 - the principle was to throw open the doors to historic monuments and buildings, in particular those normally closed to the public, in order to raise appreciation of Europe’s rich and diverse cultural assets and the need to care for them.  Heritage Days are now held annually in September in 50 European states.

Abingdon’s first big Heritage Open Day was in 2003 and since 2007 they have been run by volunteers, mainly from the Friends of Abingdon Civic Society and the Abingdon Area Archaeological and Historical Society.

During the early years Abingdon Heritage Open Days (HODs) mainly involved giving people the opportunity to see inside buildings not normally open to the public - in some cases private householders bravely opened up their homes to visitors.  Since then the event has expanded to include heritage-themed guided walks, and often an exhibition, usually running for a full week.  In some years we have had a mini-festival with family activities as well as the regular elements. 

This year’s event will of necessity be rather different.  Plans include: 

•     Short Videos of aspects of Abingdon’s heritage
•     Video tours of properties which would otherwise be open
•     Live-streamed events from the County Hall Museum
•     Information in windows of historic properties
•     Self-guided walks using either leaflets or mobile phone technology
•     A Market Place stall with information and leaflets

Full details of the event held on 19th and 20th September can be found at: https://abingdonheritage.org.uk

Advanced Notification of Surfacing Work - Cut-back of Vegetation

Advance notification letters were delivered to properties informing residents Oxfordshire County Council will be undertaking surfacing work on footway with removal of vegetation outside properties scheduled for August / September.

The advance notice allows residents to cut back their own garden vegetation themselves, or the contactor will carry this out as sympathetically as possible prior to the surfacing work.

The back of the footway needs to be accessible to a height of no less than .5 metres from the footway surface and any overhanging vegetation should be no less than 2.1 metres above the footway surface.

Corona-virus Related Scams

Criminals are exploiting the COVID-19 pandemic to try and get their hands on your money and personal information.  To date, Action Fraud has received reports from 2,378 victims of Coronavirus-related scams, with the total losses reaching over £7 million.

How you can protect yourself from Coronavirus-related scams:

There are some simple steps you can take that will protect you from the most common Coronavirus-related scams.  Here’s what need to do:

• Watch out for scam messages - Your bank, or other official organisations, won’t ask you to share personal information over email or text.  If you receive an email you’re not quite sure about, forward it to the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS): report@phishing.gov.uk

• Shopping online - If you're making a purchase from a company or person you don't know and trust, carry out some research first, for example, by checking to see if others have used the site and what their experience was.  If you decide to go ahead with the purchase, use a credit card if you have one, other payment providers may not provide the same protection.

• Unsolicited calls and browser pop-ups offering tech support - Never install any software, or grant remote access to your computer, as a result of a cold call.  Remember, legitimate organisations would never contact you out of the blue to ask for financial details such as your PIN or full banking password.

NHS Test and Trace scams:

The NHS Test and Trace service plays an important role in the fight against coronavirus and it’s vital the public have confidence and trust in the service.  However, we understand the concerns people have about the opportunity for criminals to commit scams.

What you need to know:

Contact tracers will only call you from the number 0300 013 5000. Anyone who does not wish to talk over the phone can request the NHS Test and Trace service to send an email or text instead, inviting them to log into the web-based service.

All text or emails sent by NHS Test and Trace will ask people to sign into the contact tracing website and will provide you with a unique reference number.  We would advise people to type the web address https://contact-tracing.phe.gov.uk directly into their browser, followed by the unique reference number given to you, rather than clicking on any link provided in the message.

The NHS Test and Trace service will never:

• ask you to dial a premium rate number to speak to them (for example, those starting 09 or 087)
• ask you to make any form of payment or purchase a product or any kind
• ask for any details about your bank account
• ask for your social media identities or login details, or those of your contacts
• ask you for any passwords or PINs, or ask you to set up any passwords or PINs over the phone 
• ask you to download any software to your PC or ask you to hand over control of your PC, smartphone or tablet to anyone else
• ask you to access any website that does not belong to the government or NHS

If you think you have been a victim of fraud, please report it to Action Fraud at https://www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.

Upgraded Pedestrian Crossing - Drayton Road

On Tuesday the 26th May Oxfordshire County Council will upgrade the existing pedestrian crossing on Drayton Road.  They will replace the poles, install a new signal controller and new extra low voltage equipment with LED signal heads which will greatly reduce the power consumption and carbon footprint of the site which will reduce hazards in the event of an accident.

The existing Pelican installation will be upgraded to include on-crossing detectors which will allow for a variable crossing time dependant on walking speed and number of pedestrians.

A temporary pedestrian facility will be in place whilst work is carried out and all work is estimated to be completed by Friday 5th June.

VE Day Celebrations

Sweepstake

A resident asked if we could post this on the Blog:

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Citizens Advice still available

Citizens Advice Oxfordshire South and Vale are still available to help. They are no longer able to offer face to face appointments from their Advice Centres, but you will be able to talk to their Advisers on the telephone.

Advice Line:  0300 330 9042

Monday to Friday 9:00am - 5:00pm

For general advice please visit our website citizensadvice.org.uk

Jeanette Halliday

We’re very sad to report that Abingdon Town Councillor Jeanette Halliday passed away on Friday 17th April who’d been unwell since Christmas.

Our thoughts are with her family at this very diffcult time.

An obituary can be found on the Abingdon Town Council site here: 

https://abingdon.gov.uk/abingdon-news/abingdon-thames-town-council/councillor-jeanette-halliday

Motorcycles for Mikayla - Charity Bike Day

MOTORCYCLES FOR MIKAYLA

CHARITY BIKE DAY

Granting wishes for children fighting cancer

SUNDAY 5TH JULY 2020

11:00AM - 4:30AM

Abingdon Rugby Club

Lambrick Way

Abingdon

Oxon

OX14 5TJ

Classic, On/Off Road, Superbikes and Classic Cars

Everybody Welcome!

Fully licensed bar - refreshments available

Live Music and DJ

Please all to arrange to display new bikes, accessories or trade stands

Alan Hutt

07834506180

alanhutt66@hotmail.co.uk

Supported by the VJMC

Due to the current virus situation this event may / may not happen

Teacher Help offered during Coronavirus

One of the Abingdon Coronavirus Volunteers on the estate is a teacher, and though is in school on a rota basis and running a virtual classroom, is happy to help anyone who specifically needs help with home school stuff.  Contact the Committee HERE and we'll pass on your details.

Sewing Jobs

If anyone has any little mending jobs (hems turned up etc) that need doing during the current virus situation, there's a lady on the estate who is willing to do this for you.  Get in touch with us HERE and we'll pass messages on.

Help available during the virus outbreak

For anyone self isolating at home, who are vulnerable or elderly and can't get out, please get in touch by email or phone HERE as some TFLRA committee members are volunteering to help out and are giving their phone numbers so people can call for a friendly chat.

If you'd like to volunteer to help too, please get in touch and we'll add you name to the list.

There's a Facebook group called 'Abingdon Corona Virus Response' (LINK HERE) with local volunteers who are happy to help those living in Abingdon and are affected  - contact them at abingdoncoronaresponse@gmail.com and they'll put you in touch with someone in your area.

Alternatively you can fill in these online forms for SUPPORT for yourself or someone you know who is vulnerable or elderly, or to VOLUNTEER to help in your area anything you can offer ie phone chats, shopping, prescriptions, medical transport, dog walking etc.

Keep safe.

Covid-19 Support in Abingdon

Some local people have made a website with links to food delivery information and other businesses in Abingdon with their response to this crisis.  It can be found at: https://abingdon.help/ so please pass this to anyone who may need it.

Spring 2020 Quiz amendment

Following the recent print of the current Spring 2020 Newsletter, we've just spotted a couple of errors that were overlooked.  Please note that in the Quiz, question (3) should say 'Harbour' and not harbor, and question (10) should say 'Level' and not leven.

You can also do the quiz online and submit to us too - check it out here on our Quiz Page https://tflra-quiz.weebly.com

Tesco's

From Thursday 19th March Tesco will be implementing the following changes:

• To ensure more people have access to everyday essentials, we are introducing a storewide restriction of only 3 items per customer on every product line, and removing multi-buy promotions.

• In order to allow Tesco colleagues to focus on stocking shelves, helping to provide the essential groceries you are looking for and to avoid waste, we will close all meat, fish, deli counters and salad bars.

• To be able to ensure our stores are clean, that we can replenish stock, and allow our colleagues to rest, we will change our trading hours with all stores closing at 10pm.

• To ensure we are doing everything possible to reduce the risk of infection for both our customers and colleagues, we will be introducing some distancing measures at the checkout and, to make it swifter, invite customers who can, to pay by card.

• To help free up slots for the more vulnerable, such as our elderly customers and those who are self-isolating, we are encouraging customers who shop online or choose Click+Collect for their grocery home shopping, to prioritise shopping in-store where possible.

• To ensure our more vulnerable and elderly customers can shop in-store, we will prioritise one hour every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning between 9-10am (except in our Express stores) and ask that you respect this.

Missing man in Abingdon

Thames Valley Police is appealing for help in locating a missing man from Abingdon.  Robert Wilson, aged 76, was last seen at about midday on Thursday (12/3) in The Holt.  He is of slim build, around 5ft 9ins tall with short grey hair with a beard.  He also wears glasses and usually wears a bright blue rain coat.

Robert has been known to frequent the Radley Road Nature Reserve in Abingdon and the Donnington Bridge area of Oxford.  We would ask anyone with out buildings to please check them.

Investigating officer, Inspector Adrian Lewis, based at Abingdon police station, said: “We are becoming increasingly concerned for Robert’s welfare and are appealing for the public’s help in locating him.  “If anyone believes they have seen Robert or knows of his whereabouts, please get in touch with police by calling 101, quoting Reference 43200084864.”

https://www.thamesvalley.police.uk/news/thames-valley/news/2020/march/09-03-2020/appeal-for-help-in-locating-missing-man--abingdon/

Appeal for Information following a Burglary in Abingdon

Thames Valley Police is appealing for witnesses following a burglary on Mill Road in Abingdon.

At around 2.30pm on Saturday (07/02), an offender broke into a property on Mill Road by forced entry via a rear door.

Once inside, the offender was disturbed and left the scene so nothing was stolen from the property.

A man was seen knocking on the front door of the property shortly before the offence took place. He is described as a white man of small/medium build, around 5ft 8 and was wearing a khaki hooded top and hat.

Did you witness anything or see a man matching this description in the area at the time?

Get in touch by calling 101 or making a report online quoting reference 43200078307.

You can also contact Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111.

Mobile phone found

This was found today (14th January) on Burton Close and is now at the Abingdon Police Station if it's yours.

The Abingdon Big Spring Clean

Winter Newsletter Competition Winners

Children's Colouring Competition

A big thank you for everyone who sent in their super pictures for the Colouring Competition - they were all were so colourful and artistic, making it very hard to select a winner.  In the end there were 2 joint winners selected from the under 6's category who were Finlay from Mill Road and Charlie from Masefield Crescent.  The over 6 winner was Evie from Ladygrove.  A prize for all the winners!

Well done to you all -  all pictures are on display in the common room.

Quiz Winner

Again, thanks to everyone who submitted their entry by hand and online - this year the winner was a resident of Wordsworth Road who won some chocolates.  Answers were (1) Simon Cowell, (2) Stilton Cheese, (3) Snooker Cue, (4) Sailing Club, (5) Salisbury Cathedral, (6) Sweet Chestnut, (7) South Coast, (8) South California, (9) Sutton Courtenay, (10) St Christopher, (11) Steve Cram, (12) Siamese Cat, (13) Spider Cat, (14) Sugar Cane, (15) Snake Charmer, (16) Street Car.

Question 5 foxed a lot of people - so the answer to 'The Tallest Spire and of Interest to Russians' was Salisbury Cathedral.