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Town set to strike right note with bandstand

5:00pm Friday 3rd February 2012 in News

ABINGDON could belatedly get a bandstand in the park as organisers look to splash £55,000 on marking the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Abingdon Town Council has put aside £40,000 for a four-day celebration in June which will include a party in Ock Street and another bun-throwing.

It is also proposing to spend about £15,000 on a bandstand to mark the Queen’s 60 years on the throne – but it is unlikely to be built this year.

Council leader Sandy Lovatt said the council had saved cash over two years but was looking for donations and sponsors to offset the cost.

Steve Rich, musical director of Abingdon Town Band, said Abbey Gardens would be a great spot for it.

He said: “This is something we have been looking at for about 20 or 30 years.

“It would be something for all kinds of bands and societies to use and it would be a fantastic addition to the town.”

Comments(9)

abingdonguy says...
5:49pm Fri 3 Feb 12

Nooo not in Abbey Gardens Its nice as it is. Mr Trendells garden always looks nice. It would be something else to vandalise when its not been used for 6 months of the year. Who pays then? Bands already play in the gardens in the summer. So why spend money on a bloody band stand?

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steve king says...
7:16pm Fri 3 Feb 12

£15 k on a band stand! well at least that's something tangible, my concern is where/whats the other £40k going? can Sandy be a bit more specific please? we're meant to be in an age of austerity, aren't we?

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davidofabingdon says...
9:31am Sat 4 Feb 12

The article suggests that £40k is being spent on the 4 day jolly. £10,000 a day seems awfully high. If every town is spending that sort of money the national cost will be astronomical.

Perhaps the herald ought to publish the budget for the jubilee so that we can see where it is going.

Personally I would much rather see money spent on something of lasting benefit and legacy to the town.

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Lemonyellow says...
11:51am Sat 4 Feb 12

The idea of a band stand is one of the better ideas that have been thought of, how ever how long will it survive in the Abbey Gardens before it is covered in graffiti, urine and beer cans or worse burnt to the ground? Personally i preferred the idea of moving the Victoria statue back to the market place or maybe a different sculpture. maybe something as part of the precinct redevelopment?

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Abberdon says...
12:12pm Sat 4 Feb 12

Well oil bee!

Why not get Trotmans to supply the Jubliee Buns and save money with their donation?

The statue should go to the beer garden at the Nags Head, so much closer to the riverbed, where it belongs, and the bandstand should go into the market place where the current rather ugly shopping precinct is.

Am I missing something here?

Is there an actual researched need for a bandstand of a permanent nature in Abberdon?

Or is this just to be a begging bowl facility for The Salvo's to blast out their godly muzac and gather in gold coins (in the hope they will go away)?

I like bands, and bandstands do present a good means to get music to people, but the Abbey Gardens is an out of the way place, whereas the marketplace is central.

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Abingdon Neil says...
3:52pm Sun 5 Feb 12

I fully support the idea of a town bandstand as a permanent memorial to the jubilee. Many towns our size have them and we have a good town band and several other good ones nearby. If they get the design right it could also enhance Fun in the Parks and other events.

I assume it would be in Abbey Grounds rather than the formal garden bit? I would support this, but would also like to see it tied in with further general improvements to the Abbey Grounds, Abbey Meadow and Open Air Pool area.

The problem with using the Market Place is that it would get in the way of the very successful markets and events that have developed very well over the last few years.

On the overall cost of the jubilee celebrations I agree with the other comments above. Whilst I and many others look forward to a traditional bun-throwing and local street parties, that does seem to be an excessive amount of money to spend at a time when budgets are tight and other local services are facing the squeeze.

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colbart says...
10:53am Tue 7 Feb 12

Apparently the Ock Street party will be the only licenced official street party. The plan is the entire length of the street to be used.....so it could explain why the high cost. The Logistics alone.

Individual Street parties may have difficulty being granted.

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Abingdon Neil says...
4:41pm Tue 7 Feb 12

Local street parties don't need to be licenced, as such, they just need to apply for a road closure notice if they want to stop the traffic.

Quite a few are already being planned, but they can take place off road, on green spaces etc.

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Jimjamiejonboy says...
2:31pm Wed 8 Feb 12

couldn't they save the 40K to spend on manikins and put them in the empty shops so at least it looks like people are shopping in Abingdon town center

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