Archive for: Abingdon-on-Thames Town Council

The Town Flag is flying at half-mast on Tuesday 28 June to mark the funeral of Brian Tonkin, Town Clerk of Abingdon 1985 to 2000. Brian died on 21 May at the age of 81.  Brian and his wife Averil lived in a care home in Faringdon and Brian had been poorly for some years.

Brian was very well known in Abingdon.  He worked at the Vale of White Horse DC before being appointed Town Clerk in 1985 and retired in 2000.  He was active in the town including with Abingdon Town FC and the Rotary Club.

On 23 June Brian’s wife of 58 years, Averil, passed away at the age of 82 and so they had a joint funeral.  Averil was also very active in the town including in the Inner Wheel.

Brian and Averil are survived by his daughter Faye, son Lee and grandchildren.  Any cards/ letters may be sent via Edward Carter Funeral Directors, 107 South Avenue, Abingdon. OX14 1QS. Any donations in Brian’s memory to the RNLI.

Brian and Averil will be fondly remembered by all who knew them for their humour and their love of Abingdon; they will be greatly missed by all who knew them.

“Move together” launched across Oxfordshire to help vulnerable residents 

Embargoed until Tuesday 8 June 2021

A new county-wide programme “Move Together” has launched today and will support hundreds of Oxfordshire residents most affected by Covid-19 to move more and protect their health and wellbeing.

The Move Together initiative received a total of £362,975 from the Contain Outbreak Management Fund and Active Oxfordshire will be co-ordinating it. South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils will work alongside them and the other districts across the county to provide personalised support for people who are clinically extremely vulnerable and who have been shielding and any residents whose health has been affected by the lockdowns over the past year.

A wide range of support and choices of activities will be available to residents through the councils’ Active Communities team, including home activity packs, phone calls/befriender services, community activities and exercise sessions for specific conditions.

The support provided will be personalised to each individual based on their specific needs and will be provided by physical activity specialists.

Move Together will reach vulnerable residents across the county, helping them to increase their physical activity levels in a way that works for them.

Cllr Maggie Filipova-Rivers, Cabinet member for Community Services in South Oxfordshire District Council said: “Many of our vulnerable residents have had to shield for a lot of the past year meaning that they hardly left their homes. Even when they were encouraged to go out the uncertainty of everything meant that they felt afraid to.

“This has had a detrimental effect on the health of some of those residents, both physically and mentally. The Move Together initiative offers great support to those who need help to feel confident about going out again.”

Cllr Helen Pighills, Cabinet member for Healthy Communities at Vale of White Horse District Council said: “Move Together is such a wonderful scheme. It’s a chance for us to help those who have really struggled since the first lockdown last year to get their “bounce” back through befriender schemes and activities to help them get moving and feeling fitter.”

“Initiatives like this are a really important way to support residents and enable us to build healthy communities which is one of our main priorities as a council”.

Paul Brivio, Chief Executive of Active Oxfordshire, said: “We’re delighted to be able to launch Move Together across Oxfordshire, with local authority and voluntary sector partners working together to ensure that physical activity can play a key role in our county’s recovery from the Covid-19 crisis. The benefits of moving more are significant and Move Together will not only improve residents’ physical and mental health but will help to reduce isolation and loneliness too. Move Together is set to transform hundreds of lives through the power of physical activity.”

On Tuesday 6 July there will be a webinar held for Oxfordshire organisations and partners interested in referring into the scheme. This webinar is open to any organisation working with people most affected by Covid-19 and will provide lots of information and advice about how to refer into Move Together.

For more information about Move Together and to get involved, visit: www.getoxfordshireactive.org/move-together 

Released from South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse District Council on 27 May 2021

The leaders of South Oxfordshire and Vale of White Horse district councils have offered their thanks and gratitude to the thousands of volunteers across both districts ahead of volunteers’ week.

During the 37th annual Volunteers’ Week, which takes place from the 1-7 June, the councils will be taking the “time to say thanks” and highlighting the invaluable contribution volunteers make to community groups and voluntary organisations across South Oxfordshire and the Vale.

This time last year England had started to come out of its first lockdown. Voluntary organisations and community groups had stepped up to help in any way that they could with some people volunteering for the first time.

The councils Community Hub team worked with hundreds of volunteers as part of their Covid-19 response co-ordinating emergency food deliveries, collections of prescriptions and providing calls and a voice to speak to for those in need. Many council staff also took on new voluntary roles as part of their Covid-19 response throughout the last year.

The councils are supporting Oxfordshire’s Covid-19 Heroes awards. The new High Sheriff for Oxfordshire, Imam Monawar Hussain, is inviting award nominations to honour those who have played an important role in the county’s local response to the pandemic.

Residents can nominate people via an application form, and the judging will take place in June, with an awards ceremony in July.

Whilst the pandemic has put a spotlight on the work of volunteers and their positive impact on our communities, the councils have worked alongside voluntary groups and organisations across the districts for many years. They are a vital resource to help connect council services to those who are vulnerable and in need.

Cllr Emily Smith, Leader of Vale of White Horse District Council said: “We knew before the pandemic that there was great community spirit across the Vale. However, this year residents have really stepped up to help the vulnerable and those in need.

“I’m proud to live in such a great area where the volunteers have made such an incredible difference. I hope that the new and expanded partnerships go from strength to strength as we continue to work together to provide support for our residents.”

Cllr Sue Cooper, Leader with responsibility for Climate Change and Nature Recovery at South Oxfordshire District Council said: “Thank you almost doesn’t seem enough but from all of us at South Oxfordshire we send out biggest heart felt thank you to everyone who has volunteered during this incredibly hard year and to those who continue to do so.

“Without your time and dedication much needed good causes and charitable organisations wouldn’t be able to reach as many people as they do. Volunteers who give their time to work with heritage, nature and the environment to others that help children and vulnerable residents, you make such a difference.  As a council we will continue to work alongside these organisations through our grant schemes and So Charitable Lottery.”