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Welcome to West Oxford u3a
The West Oxford branch of
the u3a, (the University of the Third Age), was created
in 1995. The u3a exists for a group of people to get
together to do things with everyone taking equal responsibility.
We meet on the 2nd and
4th Monday of each month, except for July, August and December. Our year begins in September and ends in June, with the AGM being held
at the second meeting in May. Once the
membership fee is paid there is no further charge, although visitors make a
donation. Membership of West Oxford u3a does not cover membership of
Oxford u3a or Headington u3a.
The meetings take place at Dean Court Community Centre, Pinnocks Way,
Botley. The proceedings start at 2.15 pm and (fairly short)
notices are given before or after a talk as set out on your
programme. Tea and biscuits are always served after the talk. Please stay and use this time to
get to know new people and meet friends.
New
Membership Secretary After many years of dedicated – and very much appreciated – service, Liz
Jones has stepped down from the post, and our new Membership Secretary is
Pauline Simpson. Pauline is a member of the Management Committee. 
Our new Membership Secretary,
Pauline, has taken
over from Liz
What’s happening? Recent & Upcoming
events. At
our meeting on 12th October, we received a fascinating and very
enlightening talk from Riki Therivel of Botley Pantry, which is
part of a wide-ranging network of organisations involved in the redistribution
of surplus food for the benefit of the local community. Associated groups
include Botley Community Larder, a food club, and Botley Bikers, a volunteer cycling
group which delivers food and other items to people in need. Riki stressed that
these activities are not just for ‘poor people’; the main aim is to avoid food
waste.
Our
speaker, Riki (second from right), with Jackie, Gavin, Isabelle & Caroline from associated groups Our
next meeting is scheduled for Monday 26th October, when John Tyler
will tell us about The Ridgeway. UN
OLDER PEOPLE’S DAY 2026: OXFORD TOWN HALL The
event on 7th October was a lively affair, with a friendly atmosphere
and a real ’buzz’. Over 65 organisations – both public and private – were represented and there were
several hundred visitors, The event was formally opened by the current Lord
Mayor of Oxford, Chewe Munkonge.
We
shared a stall with the two other local u3a Groups, Oxford and Headington. As
usual, we had a nice time, chatting to potential new members and were, as
always, on the lookout for suitable speakers for future meetings.
The
West Oxford team with Mary Wakem, the newly appointed Chair of Oxford u3a
The
day before, we had an excellent visit to the Hearing Dogs for Deaf People
at Princes Risborough.
It is a wonderful place where dedicated staff and volunteers train dogs
to become helpers for people with hearing problems. In addition to the site we
visited, The Grange (which extends to 27 acres), there is a similar training
station in York, but there are also trainers spread across the country; the
total number is 3,000+ They receive no government funding and rely wholly on
their own fund-raising efforts. Highly recommended for a visit.
Echo,
one of the fabulous Hearing Dogs
SIG
Update
The
Churches and Pubs Group visited the beautiful Church of St James the
Great in Radley and had lunch at the Bowyers Arms.
The
Walking Group went for a circular walk from Cumnor to Bablock Hythe and
came upon the Physic Well on the way back.
Some
of the walkers at the Holy Well
The
Physic Well is an historic holy well or sacred spring, featuring a stone
basin filled with cloudy turquoise water. The name points to a tradition of
supposed healing or medicinal properties. We understand that it has not been
used for a very long time.
Some
of the things we did during the long summer break:
We
walked with Alpacas ….
… and visited Ardley Energy Recovery Facility.
Our
SIGs have started their programmes for the new season.
The
Churches and Pubs Group visited the Church of St Michael and All Angels
in Steventon and received a very interesting presentation from retired history
teacher Tim Owen.
The
Lunch Group met at Sturdy’s Castle where there was a choice of traditional
pub fare and Indian dishes.
The
Walking Group had two outings in September.
On
the first we walked round and about Farmoor Reservoir and had lunch at the Waterside
Café.
The second was to Witney Town and Lakes, with lunch at the restaurant at
Cogges Manor Farm.
Date for Diaries
We will be at the UN Older People’s Day 2026, to give information
about us and our activities, sharing a stand with Oxford and Headington u3as.
Venue: Oxford Town Hall
Date & Time: Wednesday 7th October – from 10 am until 2
pm
It is a major annual event, described by the organisers as “a positive and
friendly networking event (free of charge) for anyone looking for information,
advice or support”. Last year there were over 70 exhibitors, and the number of
visitors exceeded 400.
Newsletter The
membership fee
entitles you to the West Oxford u3a Newsletter which is sent out three
times per year, by email. Members without an email connection can collect their copies at a Monday meeting. The
Newsletter is also published on this website under the 'News' section.
It is full of information about forthcoming events, both those
arranged
by this branch and also those organised by Thames Valley
Network. Please
be certain to look at the notice board at the back of the meeting room
for additional
details of outings and study days and also on www.u3atvnetwork.org.uk as
well as this website.
u3a National A membership
subscription is paid annually to the National u3a office. You
are entitled to attend the Summer Schools and other events. Details and costs
are on the National u3a website.
Queries Do raise any queries when
attending the meetings or contact the appropriate person in the 'Contact Us'
section. To join
West Oxford u3a or to renew your membership:
The
current annual subscription is £20 and subscriptions are due in September
each year.
We
recommend that you use our online membership facility
which can be
found in the Membership section.
However,
you may, if you prefer, complete a paper membership application form which can be
obtained by email or collected at Monday meetings. If you would like to send / receive documents by
post, then please contact the Membership Secretary, Pauline Simpson, on p-w-simpson@hotmail.co.uk. Each
year new members are invited to a 'welcome lunch', which
gives them a chance to meet each other, the leaders of the Special
Interest Groups, and other volunteers.
Gift Aid on Membership Subscriptions Maximising our net income,
for the benefit of members, is a consideration in everything we do.
One way a member can help us
achieve this is by Gift Aiding their membership subscription. This enables
WOu3a to reclaim the tax portion of the payment (25p for every £1 donated) from
HMRC. To be eligible for Gift Aid, the member must:
· be a UK tax payer; and
· have paid an amount of tax
(income and/or capital gains) in the current tax year which is not less than
the Gift Aid claimed on this and any other such donations across all Charities. The
relevant declaration and consent box is included in the online
Application Form which can be found in the Membership Section.
To send
an email to West Oxford u3a - please select the appropriate contact from the
'Contact Us' section on this website.
More information about how the u3a started, its benefits and services,
and other useful links can be found in the 'Links' section on this website.
* If you wish to enlarge the print size on any parts of
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