A royal flush as neighbours come together

10:10am Monday 4th June 2012 in News Photograph of the Author By Damian Fantato, covering Summertown, Jericho and North Oxford. Call me on 01865 425429

The bun-throwing The bun-throwing

Despite the torrential rain, hundreds of people gathered in the centre of Abingdon to be showered with buns last night.

In a tradition dating back around 200 years, the town’s civic leaders took their positions at the top of the County Hall Museum and threw 6,000 buns to an expectant crowd below.

The buns had been marked with the number 60 in icing in honour of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee.

Seven-year-old George Long from Radley was one of the crowd below with his parents Dave and Fran.

He said: “It was really good. I couldn’t catch a bun, but then my dad got one for me.”

All the town’s councillors, as well as local MP Nicola Blackwood, marched up the 160-odd stairs to the top of County Hall and spent around half-an-hour throwing the buns.

Town mayor Monica Lovatt said: “This has been a long time in the planning. The town council’s staff have worked over and above the call of duty to organise it.”

This year’s bun throwing even attracted Top Gear presenter James May, who was challenged to launch buns to the back of the square for his programme Man Lab, something which had long eluded even the fittest councillors.

He used a makeshift cannon to achieve the goal.

Mr May said: “It went better than we expected. I reckon we fired about 700 buns. Some of them hit the walls on the other side of the square.

“This is possibly the weirdest request I have ever had but it was fantastic to be a part of it.

“We have brought Abingdon into the 21st century.”

The programme will be aired in the autumn.

As well as a fun in the park event in Abbey Meadows on Saturday a street party was held in Ock Street, yesterday.

Meanwhile residents in Wantage gathered on for a fun day on Saturday at the Manor Road Memorial Park, including a 1950s-style fun fair.

Comments(23)

pazza1 says...
11:45am Tue 5 Jun 12

absolute joke, james mays machines didnt even make it half way across the town square it was me the bun throwing champ who was the only one who got it to the back of the crowd even getting 4 on the roof above costa coffee yet i dont even get a mention who wrote this? its all lies.If i wasnt there no one at the back would've still got a bun.

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AbingdonKing says...
1:07pm Tue 5 Jun 12

It was really good to see so many people brave the rain ! Although, it was a shame that the security men were telling people that proms in the park was cancelled, I then found out on Monday that it went ahead. I was on my way to attend after the bun throwing but being told it was cancelled I turned back. I wonder if I can get a refun on my wristbands ?

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Annieo says...
1:14pm Tue 5 Jun 12

My eyeballs still sting from looking up into the rain. !

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Abberdon says...
1:33pm Tue 5 Jun 12

I thought it was manna from Heaven raining down!

Then I tasted a bun and realised it was just TESCO fare.

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1onlineheraldreader says...
2:33pm Tue 5 Jun 12

Why is this article in the Wantage/Grove edition?

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Abberdon says...
3:04pm Tue 5 Jun 12

Because it is good for people from Wantage to know how people in Abberdon spend their money.

50k quid on Tesco buns, and Morris dancers.

Eat yer heart's out Wantage. Bet you wish you had a 200 year old tradition to brag about.

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Abingdon Neil says...
3:16pm Tue 5 Jun 12

@Abberdon - I assume you are being sarcastic?

The Bun Throwing is actually one of the cheaper events of the weekend and is a fine Abingdon tradition, as evidenced by the thousands who turned out despite the weather.

Granted some of the expenditure has been excessive, but the traditional (and most popular) events like the Bun Throwing and Fun in the Parks were actually the less costly ones.

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greenius says...
5:16pm Tue 5 Jun 12

The Morris men are not paid. We do it because we respect the Abingdon traditions. Abingdon Morris is older than the bun throwing tradition. The Ock Street mayor and horns date from 1700 (Roger Cox the current mayor is in the picture of this article) and Morris dancing existed in Abingdon for hundreds of years before then.

We devised a new dance "diamond royale" for this occasion, which we danced in front of the County Hall just before the bun throwing despite the unpleasant weather.

Thanks to everyone at the Ock street party and fun in the park for making it a great weekend.

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Iain L says...
10:53pm Tue 5 Jun 12

Thanks to the Morris men - unfortunately I didn't see the new dance as arrived too late but hopefully will get to see it at the dance day on 16th June.

I can confirm, as I was standing next to pazza1 that his buns flew miles (a lot further than mine certainly), although I think he's bein a bit harsh on James mays leaf blowing repeater which certainly fired a load of buns a long way too. But in terms of pure distance I think pazza1 ges the prize. Although the real prize goes tothe thousands of Abingdonians who braved the weather to enjoy the buns - well done all.

It was also good to see so many people at last night's concert - about 2000 I believe - enjoying the nicer weather, good music (joining in for Delilah rivalled the Stoke City fans), fireworks and a fair few pints of Abingdon bridge.

A great jubilee weekend all in all. Gawd bless you ma'am!

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wizardofox2 says...
12:26pm Wed 6 Jun 12

We're getting used to Ian L's over exaggerated comments here, when I popped to the proms night at around 9.00pm I struggled to count more than a couple of hundred heads, but then he also said 250 children from Dalton Barracks would be bused in for the street party too?
Ian L = pinch of salt.

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Iain L says...
1:40pm Wed 6 Jun 12

To correct your typically inaccurate comments wizard.

I said the dalton families had booked a table for 250 at the street fair which is correct.

The concert I was talking about was the one on Monday night which was very well attended as tge weather was much better. Over 2000 tickets were sold and I don't think there were many no shows - certainly a good 1500 attended.

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1onlineheraldreader says...
3:17pm Wed 6 Jun 12

All you Abingdonites, begone!! This is the Wantage/Grove edition you forelock tuggers.

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wizardofox2 says...
3:26pm Wed 6 Jun 12

What a surprise Ian L, your 2000 quote has now been reduced to 1,500 ! and what ever happened to the 250 from Dalton then? or was that just another load of bull S*** too?

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Iain L says...
3:45pm Wed 6 Jun 12

Could have been anywhere between 1500 or 2000 too many to count - just an estimate.

I don't know if the Dalton guys made it on Sunday - the weather as I'm sure you noticed was pretty awful - you'll have to ask them.

Why the anger wizard - don't you like seeing the community getting together in a positive way?

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pazza1 says...
4:53pm Wed 6 Jun 12

Iain L wrote:
Thanks to the Morris men - unfortunately I didn't see the new dance as arrived too late but hopefully will get to see it at the dance day on 16th June. I can confirm, as I was standing next to pazza1 that his buns flew miles (a lot further than mine certainly), although I think he's bein a bit harsh on James mays leaf blowing repeater which certainly fired a load of buns a long way too. But in terms of pure distance I think pazza1 ges the prize. Although the real prize goes tothe thousands of Abingdonians who braved the weather to enjoy the buns - well done all. It was also good to see so many people at last night's concert - about 2000 I believe - enjoying the nicer weather, good music (joining in for Delilah rivalled the Stoke City fans), fireworks and a fair few pints of Abingdon bridge. A great jubilee weekend all in all. Gawd bless you ma'am!
i have spoke to several people who were in the crowd near the back and all of them said james mays buns didnt reach them you must of mistaken my throws for his as i said his only reached halfway

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micah6v8 says...
1:27pm Thu 7 Jun 12

1onlineheraldreader, the Herald series website serves Abingdon, Wantage/Grove, Wallingford and Didcot editions of the Herald. There isn't a dedicated Wantage/Grove website - we all get to share the news articles! Incidentally, it's the same content on the Oxford Times and Oxford Mail websites!

pazza1, you were very good at throwing such a long distance, but James May's bun-throwing devices did manage to get the crowd at the back – I know, our friends managed to get one!

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1onlineheraldreader says...
2:10pm Thu 7 Jun 12

@micah6vh

The sections are:
" Abingdon/Didcot/Wall
ingford/Wantage/Grov
e/National News/Opinion/Galleri
es ",
they do NOT all have the same headers/content, click on the sections and you will see.

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micah6v8 says...
2:27pm Thu 7 Jun 12

@1onlineheraldreader



Yes, there are different sections for each area, but they all contain the same stories (just in a different order). You'll see by clicking the links below that the same news article (including the associated comments) is being shown in each section.

Wantage edition:
http://www.heraldser
ies.co.uk/news/hswan
tagenews/9742515.A_r
oyal_flush_as_neighb
ours_come_together/

Abingdon edition:
http://www.heraldser
ies.co.uk/news/hsabi
ngdonnews/9742515.A_
royal_flush_as_neigh
bours_come_together/


Oxford Mail edition:
http://www.oxfordmai
l.co.uk/news/yourtow
n/abingdon/9742515.A
_royal_flush_as_neig
hbours_come_together
/

Oxford Times edition:
http://www.oxfordtim
es.co.uk/news/yourto
wn/abingdon/9742515.
A_royal_flush_as_nei
ghbours_come_togethe
r/

It all comes from the same database

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nickschin says...
7:29pm Thu 7 Jun 12

Video of the bun throwing > http://youtu.be/x0Oy
QTVCFhE

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Belle30 says...
9:33pm Thu 7 Jun 12

I attended the bun throwing, even though I live in Wantage. I ended up standing right at the back near Costa, and as good as James May's machine was, if it hadn't have been for Pazza1 getting the buns right to the back a lot of people would have been disappointed.

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Diddums says...
10:09pm Thu 7 Jun 12

''wizardofox2 says...
12:26pm Wed 6 Jun 12

Ian L = pinch of salt.''

Normal attention seeking behavior from the Town Troll under his latest 'pseudonim' . At least Iain L had the Ba..s to get himself elected ! Which is more than can be said for you !
Just don't like anything positive do you ?

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wizardofox2 says...
8:38am Fri 8 Jun 12

My best experiences of Abingdon was as a taxi driver driving out of it (that's when the traffic wasn't stationary) as for being elected, well you can't stand for local council if you live more than a certain distance away and Marston is outside of the criteria, thank the lord !

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Iain L says...
9:02am Fri 8 Jun 12

So given you've not paid a penny towards the abingdon jubilee why do you feel you have to comment do vociferously on something that doesn't impact you in any way?

Maybe Marston's residents would enjoy your comments more?

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