Plant Swap

There will be another plant swap this Sunday 1st June on the driveway at 39 Masefield Crescent, between 2pm and 4pm. Bring your extra plants or seedlings or cuttings and take something else away with you. Houseplants also welcome. No payments involved - all free. If you don't have anything to swap, come anyway as there is usually a surplus of plants on offer.

Military Grave Restorer ... by Peter Brown (taken from the TFLRA Winter Newsletter 2023)

I was in the Army with Steve Davies who is the Military Grave Restorer, and after seeing the work he does, see his website at: https://www.veteransfoundation.org.uk/stories/grant-stories/steve-davies-grant-sep-22/ I was inspired to set up an Oxfordshire Group.  When I unfortunately lost my mother and was at the church to arrange the funeral, I asked the Vicar if he had any military graves, to which he said yes, and showed me 15 Crimean crosses that were covered with weed.

 

During the hard gardening task of cleaning these, we came across syringes, old bottles and even an animal skull, but the crosses can now be seen and read, and we will be returning to make sure this doesn’t happen again.  You might recognise residents Jules and Denise who are veterans and help veteran’s organisations all over the country.

 

Our second task was at Spring Road Cemetery where I was joined by the Military Grave Restorer Steve along with other veterans including Terry.  We were shown how to clean Marble graves and cleaned 6 graves including two old Lord Majors of Oxford.  We use washing up liquid and water to scrub the lichen off, then we use an environmentally friendly chemical to get the rest off, leaving them clean, and then spray them to keep them from getting dirty again for a while.

 

All the labour is voluntary - we do have a Just Giving page to help pay for tools and chemicals used, so if anyone would like to donate towards this please see this link:

 

https://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/peter-brown-867?utm_id=107&utm_term=dvXAXwqeQ&fbclid=IwAR0W1KHA5VpVs

Next Meeting and AGM

The next meeting and AGM will be held on Tuesday 7th November at 7.30pm in the Stonewater flats Common Room, Bridges Close.

Biffa Food Waste Collections number

 

TFLRA Meetings

We have recently welcomed another resident to our meetings - do let us know if you're a resident and would like to come along too.  We usually meet every month on either a Monday or Tuesday evening at 7.30pm in the common room of the Jephson Flats off Bridges Close.  Not everybody can come to each meeting, but there are usually between seven and twelve of us from all over Tithe Farm and Ladygrove.  We talk about our next newsletter and what has been happening and may happen around our estates, as well as events in wider Abingdon.  If you would like to know more, contact us on either the email address or telephone number at the end of this newsletter (dates of meetings are normally agreed a few weeks beforehand).

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The Spring 2023 newsletter covered the articles listed below - if you'd like to read more of them on the paper copy, please go to our Contact page at https://tflra.weebly.com/contact.html and let us know.

• Abingdon’s Repair Cafe
• Voter Identification
• Who Else Remembers?
• Some History of Preston Road Community Centre
• More About Preston Road Community Centre
• Spring Quiz
• Gardening in Challenging Weather
• Plant Swap
• Ock Bridge and the Chaunterell / Tesco Path
• Helping Hegehogs
• The ‘Living’ Green Man - Walk on the Wildside
• Freebie Days Again?
• Teabooks
• Making a Will?
• Missed Bin Collections
• How we Hope to Save on our Energy Bills and do a bit for the Planet
• Saving Water and Electricity
• Town Council an a New Cemetery
• Bun Throwing in May
• 20mph Speed Limits in Abingdon?
• For Sale
• Street Light Out?

New Highway Code Changes

Are you aware of the changes to the Highway Code that came into force on 29^thJanuary?  It aims to protect cyclists and pedestrians from road accidents, and one of the major changes is the introduction of a road user hierarchy which puts pedestrians and cyclists at the top, and drivers of cars, vans and heavy goods vehicles at the bottom.  This is because pedestrians and cyclists are considered the most ‘at risk’ of being injured in a collision, whereas drivers of vehicles are considered more dangerous to other road users.  This is no doubt going to take patience and common sense from all road users to become the ‘new norm’.

Missing Cat

** UPDATE **  HE'S BEEN FOUND!! 🤗

MISSING:  Four year old, medium-haired jet black cat named Onyx, last seen at Orpwood Way on Thursday night 13th May.  He is an indoor-only cat, and managed to escape through an open door.

Please keep an eye out for him and would be grateful if you could check your shed and / or garage.

You can contact us via our Contact Page if you see him.

Many thanks!

Garden Waste Service restarting

The Vale of White Horse District Council are restarting the garden waste service again this week beginning 15th February.  Be sure to put your brown bin out.

Full details on the Vale website here :

https://www.whitehorsedc.gov.uk/vale-of-white-horse-district-council/recycling-rubbish-and-waste/garden-waste/?fbclid=IwAR1KXIuB3GrgAN-wUu2N7Zc-7YLJQABuRXoKH-UtTfc7YY9meFB43VnltJ0

Missing cat

Smokey is missing from Byron Close - please check your sheds, garages and any outhouses in case he’s trapped.  He does like to wander far.  If you do see him please contact this blog on our Contact Page.

Oxford Kitchens & Bathrooms

One of our residents is a director of Oxford Kitchens and Bathrooms, based locally in Wootton. They are entering the 42nd year of trading in 2021, with the same management that started the business in 1979.  Their website is at www.oxfordkitchens.co.uk if you would like to know more about them.

New Planning Application - Tennyson Drive

There is new concern re new Planning Application for 2 Tennyson Drive for the extension and conversion of existing house into 4 dwellings (3 x 1 bedroom flats and 1 x 2 bedroom flat) with associated parking.

For further details please go to the Vale of the White Horse website Planning Application P20/V3179/FUL.

Comments by 16th January 2021.

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.

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.

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.

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.