News Letter 1 and 2, April 2023 - Coronation Special
The Coronation Big Lunch, Monday 8th May at the Rugby Club, Lambrick Way, from 12:00
To celebrate the Coronation of King Charles III, AMRA will be organising a community Coronation Big Lunch from 12.00 on Monday 8th May at the Rugby Club, in Lambrick Way. This is an invitation to ALL Marina residents and their families to create a picnic and to share food and fun together. So make sure you spread the word and invite neighbours who may not receive this reminder.
You will be welcomed with a glass of Buck’s Fizz and the bar will be open for the afternoon so remember your wallets.
There will be a few games and activities for the children and those young at heart! There will be a prize for the best drawing of King Charles III, as well as prizes for anyone who makes and wears a crown. (Weather permitting!) Activities in the pipeline include leggy hoopla, giant jenga, corn hole, archery, connect four, coconut shy and the return of welly-wanging!
We will be holding a collection for the charities AMRA are supporting this year.
So pack a picnic and join us for ‘A Right Royal Knees-Up!’
AMRA Social Committee
Newsletter 1 - Spring 2023
Message from the Chair
We are nearly a quarter of the way through 2023 and, finally, able to start planning our social events for the year. After the constraints of recent years, I am very much looking forward to getting back to a more normal programme of events.
This is, of course, a very special year with the coronation of our new King in May. We have decided not to have a Cheese and Wine party in March, but to hold our first party on Monday May 8th at the Rugby Club. This is the Monday after the coronation itself, as we expect that most people will want to watch that event as it happens.
Delia Evans
The River in Winter (Photo: Sandra North)
News about our two resident swans
Several people have been rather concerned about the swan fights that we have seen going on recently on the marina and have wondered about the fact that the resident swans have not been seen lately. I have spoken to the Swan Support group who have given this update: apparently, the two swans that we see now are rogue ones who recently flew in and started attacking our two resident swans. Luckily, the group were contacted by the marina office and they came and removed them to another area. I was told that the
male (who is now quite elderly) had been badly beaten up and would have been killed. The female they finally found hiding. I was assured that our two swans are well known to the group and that they are now fine.
Photo: Kate Law
Time to renew your AMRA Membership
Membership of AMRA costs £12 per person, per year, and this becomes due in April of each year. (Although the AMRA membership will remain at £12 for this year, it is likely that it will have to be increased to £15 next year.). The annual subscription of £12 can be paid by BACS to AMRA’s account number 63783863, sort code 30-98-97, name: Abingdon Marina Residents Association. Please note that this is a Business Account. Please use the payment reference box to show your name and address. For more information please contact our Membership Secretary, Tom Hardy, on Tomrw.Hardy@btinternet.com. Alternatively, please feel free to write a cheque payable to AMRA, and to deliver it to Tom Hardy at 20 West Quay. Please complete the following details with your cheque:
Name:…………………………………………………………….…e-mail address:……………………………………
Address:……………………………………………………………phone number……………………………………..
AMRA Christmas Party
AMRA’s Christmas Party was held at the Rugby Club on Friday 9th December last year. There was a very good turnout of members with some fifty people attending. Excellent food was provided by the Social Committee, and everyone appeared to have a good time. The raffle we held raised £360 for the Maggie Centre at the JR. Many thanks to all of you for your generosity.
Thanks to the Social Committee for organising this event.
AMRA’s website and Facebook page
Please do make use of the AMRA website: AMRAUK.org. You can Google search for it using ‘AMRA Abingdon’ and it should come straight up.
We have news of future activities and we are also adding to our Helpful Information Section. If you have any suggestions, please get in touch with Kate: katelaw16@yahoo.com
AMRA's Christmas Party at the Rugby Club
Photo: Lilibut
Father Christmas and an elf at the AMRA Christmas Party
(Photo: Laura Johnson)
There is also an AMRA Facebook page which is regularly updated with information on events, offers and activities in and around Abingdon. Anyone interested should ensure that their membership is up to date and then contact Sandra North. Search for Sandra North through FB Messenger, or contact her on senorth@hotmail.co.uk to ask to be added to the group.
AMRA events this year
The Coronation Big Lunch, 12.00, Monday 8th May at the Rugby Club
To celebrate the Coronation of King Charles, AMRA will be organising a Coronation Big Lunch on Monday 08th May at the Rugby Club. This is an invitation for ALL Marina neighbours to create a picnic and to come and share food and fun together.
You will be welcomed with a glass of Buck’s Fizz and the bar will be open for the afternoon so remember your wallets. There will be a few games and activities for the children and those young at heart (weather permitting!)! We will be holding a collection for the charities AMRA are supporting this year.
AMRA Summer Soirée, 12.00, Saturday 19th August at the Rugby Club
The Summer Party will be held at the Abingdon Rugby Club as it offers lots of indoor and outdoor space for socialising. There will an additional sixty outdoor seats provided with large umbrellas for shade as we are hoping the sun will shine. A Pimm’s will be offered on arrival and there will be a lovely summery buffet lunch. There will be ice-cream, games and activities for the children and the big kids amongst us. It is free to all AMRA members and their children. Your friends and family are welcome at £5.00 per head. More details to follow.
AMRA’s Boatnic, Saturday, 1st July, Day’s Lock – to be confirmed
The marina fleet will be wending its way down the Thames to Day’s Lock for an afternoon picnic. Everyone is welcome. There is lots of room for neighbours in the Abingdon flotilla. More details to follow.