Beckley & Area Community Benefit society Limited (BACBS)

The Abingdon Arms

The Abingdon Arms is still providing an excellent service to the community and is keeping its take-away service up to its usual excellent standards. We encourage you to sign up to their information emails at https://www.theabingdonarms.co.uk/contact-us so that you can see the current menus and what special offers are available . Orders can be taken by phone (01865 655667), email info@theabingdonarms.co.uk, or drop in. Please keep the orders coming to ensure the pub can stay open until the current lockdown ends (maybe, just possibly end of March??). Suzy and team have been taking the opportunity to spruce up the interior of the pub ready for the grand re-opening! This is a summary of current opening times, and what is available when. For all the information go to https://www.theabingdonarms.co.uk . In case you did not notice on their front door, the pub has a 5-star food hygiene rating, well done Alex and Suzy.

Opening times and what is available when https://www.theabingdonarms.co.uk/opening-times.

Basically: closed Monday and Tuesday. Open Wednesday 2 to 8pm, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday 12 to 8 pm, and Sunday 12 to 3:30 pm.

NEW – ready made oven meals, for 1 or 4 people. Available anytime when open.

https://www.theabingdonarms.co.uk/take-away-menus/ready-made-meals-wednesday---sunday

A la Carte Menu (Friday, Saturday, and Sunday) https://www.theabingdonarms.co.uk/take-away-menus/friday---Saturday---Sunday Fantastic selection!

Pizza menu (Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday) any pizza only £9.95 on Wednesday and Thursday! https://www.theabingdonarms.co.uk/take-away-menus/pizza-menu

Roast lunch on Sunday 12:00 to 15:30

Shop items https://www.theabingdonarms.co.uk/take-away-menus/shop-items- for emergency rations!

NEW Beer deliveries Suzy is offering a weekend beer delivery service from The Abingdon Arms, in line with current restrictions, for Beckley and surrounding villages. A 'beer club' arrangement is planned for regulars - to benefit customers, to support the pub, and to enable a more economic and sustainable delivery system. Suzy aims to stock two cask ales each weekend and two lagers and a cider. Wines and soft drinks can be delivered too. The minimum beer order is 3 pints, paid in advance, and deliveries will be made on Friday late afternoon / early evening. A drop-off point in each village is a possibility, from which neighbours could pick up - though delivery to each house is possible.

If you and maybe your neighbours are interested in signing up for a weekly delivery, please contact Suzy at theabingdonarmsoxford@gmail.com or on 01865 655667. Further information / suggestions contact Mike Hobbs at mike.jd.hobbs@gmail.com

The pub needs your custom if it is to stay open! So many pubs have closed, and we cannot let that happen!

More than a Pub Programme - Past and Future

The monthly Sunday evening talks by Zoom continue and remain popular with 30-60 people ‘zooming’ in. The talks range across many disciplines and remain very varied.

The last talk, “Walls of sure and solid stone” – presented by Dr Tara Stubbs and Jane Haigh, based on Seamus Heaney’s poem ‘Scaffolding’, was a great success. Details of the talk, including a link to a recording of the talk, can be found at: https://bacbs.org/activities-events/walls-of-sure-and-solid-stone

The last pub quiz (Wednesday 3rd February) went down really well, with 40+ ‘quizzers’ zooming in. Andreea did an excellent job managing the whole exercise and the technical complexities, many thanks to her and her ‘team’. Answers available on https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/15xw8dTs6LVaVHkT49vZSAy8Z9LIPkl1c6-t6aaVot5U/edit#slide=id.gaff4602867_0_219 .

The next quiz is on Wednesday 3rd March at 8pm. To reduce waiting time and for technological reasons, participants are encouraged to form teams in advance (minimum of 3 ‘zoom ins’ per team please), preferably incorporating your team name in your on-screen zoom name. A willingness to team-up with new mates will be greatly appreciated, otherwise random allocation will occur on the day!

Quiz Zoom link https://zoom.us/j/91265395490?pwd=MEw5QkJIckc2NEh4d081VGFSSWI0UT09 .

Go to https://bacbs.org/events for further information.

This is the current Sunday evening programme:

Sunday 14th March 2021: 6.30-7.30: “Great Horkesley to Eight Ash Green”. An East Anglian rewrite of ‘Larkrise to Candleford’. Join Betty Dye (who lives in Beckley) on a journey which takes you from “settin-on-em -up” in August to the turkey stubbing marathon in December, via glass accumulators and the two-seater privy. This is no nostalgic amble down country lanes as she hated, she says, both “setten-on-em -up” and turkey stubbing, but it is an oral history of things you might also remember. Zoom access details are available at https://bacbs.org/events.

Sunday 11 April 2021: 6.30-7.30: “The cutting edge: surgery in the pandemic and beyond”. Neil Mortensen, Professor of Colorectal Surgery, University of Oxford; Honorary Consultant Surgeon, Oxford University Hospitals; President of the Royal College of Surgeons of England. Neil is a resident of Beckley.

Sunday 9 May 2021 6.30-7.30: “Saving Elephants in West Africa”. Susan Canney, a resident of Horton-cum-Studley.

If you would like to watch previous talks, details can be found at: https://bacbs.org/events/#past-events.

Friday 9 April 2021: Family Treasure Hunt There will be an Easter “treasure hunt” around both Beckley and Horton-cum-Studley villages for families, with a closing date of Friday 9 April. The first correct entry drawn from a hat for each village will receive an Easter treat! More details shortly (https://bacbs.org/events). If any other village would like to do something similar, please contact Susy Jepson, susy.jepson@gmail.com for more information.

gOOD nEIGHBOUR sCHEME and Covid Support

This scheme is still operating albeit at a low level. We are lucky in Beckley and surrounding villages that most people have help where needed from family, friends, and neighbours. However, the service is still available to give lifts to those with no other transport, to attend VACCINATION APPOINTMENTS, collect items from surgeries, Stanton village shop etc., as well as to the Barton/Green Road roundabout where buses into Headington and central Oxford are frequent. We should also be able to collect take-aways from The Abingdon Arms. To request a lift, either ring 07514 791919 (answerphone if no answer) or email BACBSgoodneighbour@gmail.com. Given COVID issues, both driver and client need to be satisfied with both parties wearing masks and having open car windows. If you know of anyone who might need help, and perhaps does not know this service exists, please do let them know.

ELECTRIC VEHICLE CHARGING POINT AT THE ABINGDON ARMS

After much deliberation we have commissioned the installation of a Rolec EV charging point. It is a 7kw one, so not a rapid charger, but faster than from a standard 13amp socket. It is hoped that it will be installed early March.

FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR THE ABINGDON ARMS

During the previous lock downs BACBS gave The Abingdon Arms’ tenants a rent holiday, which allowed them to stay open. We are doing the same for this current lockdown, with regular reviews as to whether this help is needed. We feel this is vital to ensure the pub keeps trading and is thus in a strong position to bounce back once this lockdown ends.