Beckley & Area Community Benefit society Limited (BACBS)

The Abingdon Arms

In the last newsletter we reported that the Abingdon Arms was finally recovering from COVID damage. This recovery is continuing, but ongoing rises in the tenants’ costs are still making life difficult. However, the staffing situation has improved, with more permanent members of staff. They have commissioned Maxwell to replace the seating at the kitchen side of the top terrace and this is already a great improvement. The next major change will be the arrival of the stretch tent and lighting over the top terrace; this should be quite soon. This awning will allow far greater use in inclement weather of this outdoor terrace with its fabulous views. Purchase of this awning has been made possible through the new share offer, with 18 new members of BACBS, a rise in membership of nearly 10%! More investments from new and old members will help us to plan for the long overdue refurbishment of the top floor of the pub.

As usual, Vicky and Alex are working hard to provide lots of new initiatives to entice you in https://www.theabingdonarms.co.uk/menus. The pub’s website has been redone to make it easier to navigate. Danny (Vicky’s husband) has joined the staff and you will find him front of house. There have been a good number of fine days recently with the pub acting as a starting/finishing point for many walks. Quiz nights and the ‘More than a Pub’ talks continue to be very popular. The most recent Sunday ‘talk’ was by Professor Anthony Harnden in conversation with John Stradling. Anthony provided a fascinating insight into the difficult decisions that had to be made around the vaccination strategy against COVID. If you missed it, then go to the BACBS website to find out how you can listen to the recording (https://bacbs.org/events).

Vicky and Alex are planning several special activities over the four days of the Jubilee celebrations, do go to https://www.theabingdonarms.co.uk/jubilee- to see what’s on offer.

May 29, 6.30 pm José Ramón Lopez-Portillo: Can mankind survive the current exponential growth in technology?

Dr Lopez-Portillo, a resident of Beckley, is a specialist in the subject of accelerating technological change and its socio-economic impact. He continues to be an adviser to the Mexican Government regarding science diplomacy and the UN Resolution on “"Impact of rapid technological change on the achievement of the SDGs”. His recent work on this topic is reflected in his book entitled: “The Great Transition” (2018). His multifaceted professional experience allows him to tackle the issues of the impact of technological change from different angles.

José Ramón has served as vice-minister in the Federal Government of Mexico and is a former ambassador and Independent Chairman of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). The UN Secretary-General nominated him again as a member of the Group of 10 experts of the Technology Facilitation Mechanism (2018-).

He holds a Ph.D. in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Oxford, where he has worked on several academic projects. His wife, Mantina, has previously given us an excellent talk on the Monarch Butterfly and its annual migration to Mexico.

June 26th. 6:30 pm Andrew Wilson: journalist and former Sky news presenter

Andrew Wilson, journalist and former Sky news presenter who lives in Elsfield will be interviewed by Chris White.

July 31st, 6.30 pm. Mark Stanley-Price: Rewilding: a fad or a transformative approach for conservation?

Trained in Oxford as a zoologist, Mark has spent his career in conservation, mostly in East Africa and West Asia. Apart from charity management and governance, his main technical interests have for years been reintroductions, which have morphed into conservation translocations and then rewilding. Resident in Oddington since 2012, Mark is an associate of Oxford University’s Wildlife Conservation Research Unit. He has spent the years in Oddington planting native trees and shrubs on 1½ acres, and is now pleased to call this rewilding.

Finally…

When the community took over the pub there was a great deal of repair work etc. to do. One particular activity was the rebuilding of the carpark wall which was actually rather enjoyable and brought together members of the community who had not really met properly before. One job that really needs doing is repainting the fences and it has been suggested this might be another community activity. If you might be prepared to join a painting party one weekend-day, then please let me know (john.r.stradling@gmail.com).