It seems as though the ink has had no time to dry since I last put pen to paper – but the last few weeks have flown by.

We had a really lovely Valentine’s Day with plenty of “Loving Feedings” (to misquote the Righteous Brothers’ lyrics) and very soon after that we started the process of getting our wedding licence, which enables us to support the perfect circle between Valentine’s Day, Wedding Day and Mothering Sunday.

Mothers’ Day was another Sunday lunch full of families, fun and kids giving mums cards and flowers.

But while all that was going on, I sadly missed the chance to join the boss, Peter Borg-Neal, at The Grosvenor House in London for The Publican Awards.

These are the licensed trade’s annual ‘Oscars’ where more than 1,200 landlords, drinks manufacturers, owners and tenants all vie for one of the coveted gongs that tell the rest of the industry that you’re among the elite. Well, despite the hour, I was thrilled to read a text message that announced we’d won two awards. Winning one is rarer than finding a hen’s tooth, but two is a real pat on the back for everyone involved. Oakman Inns won Best Community Pub Operator and Best Employer (for owners with 50 pubs and under) and were the two that Peter wanted to win most.

We had a small celebration the other night with Abingdon’s Mayor, Samantha Bowring, which gave me and my team an opportunity to make some small gesture of thanks to some of the locals who have made us so welcome since we reopened last November.

It seems appropriate therefore that, as you read this, we will be preparing to welcome our local MP, Nicola Blackwood, tomorrow.

She has agreed to hoist the Abingdon Town flag on our newly-refurbished flagpole.

We ran a survey earlier this year to ask what Abingdonians would like to see flying above The Crown & Thistle and they voted overwhelmingly for a flag that symbolises where we live and many of us work.

I’m very proud of the new flag and I hope you’ll all come by and tip it a wink and make a wish for us all to be well and happy when you see it flying.

The Mayor has given us the enormous privilege of hosting her Charity Gala Dinner this Saturday night. This is an important event as it is the major fundraiser for her chosen charities – we’ll be making sure that it all goes with a swing and relaxes everyone into giving some hefty support for their good work.

This will follow a jazz afternoon with Perrier-Jouet Champagne and strawberries, so a busy weekend ahead!

Next week we are helping to launch Oxfordshire’s Chillifest which takes place in August and is run by Dawn Massum (@oxchillifest).

We’ll be serving chilli cocktails and snacks so hot they’ll melt rock, but I’ll let Dawn give everyone the details and I’m sure you’ll read them here over the coming weeks.

I still have some planning to do for our May Bank Holiday Beer Festival. We’ve sourced more than 20 ales and three cask ciders that I hope will amuse and please, but I am still looking for some local cheeses that people will really like. I’m always interested to hear from artisans who care about food, so drop me a line via our website if you have ideas.

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The Crown & Thistle
18 Bridge Street, Abingdon.
crownandthistleabingdon.co.uk
01235 522556