* If you wish to enlarge the print size on any parts of
this website, you can use the magnifying (zoom) function on your device. This
is ctrl and +/- or settings/zoom on PC's
and laptops, finger scrolling on smartphones and tablets, and option/command/+/- keyboard shortcuts on MACs. *
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 Mondays 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.
What’s happening? Recent & Upcoming
events. At our meeting on 28th April our
speaker was Steve Dimmer, who told us about the ‘Carry On’ Films. Some of us
were amazed to learn that 30 films in the series were made from 1958 to 1978,
with one ‘revival film’ released in1992. Steve admits that these films are among his special
favourites, though it is clear from his presentation that they were not all of
the same quality.
 Steve’s presentation was based on his vast library
of still photographs and film recordings
Our next meeting is scheduled for Monday 12th May, when Bill Hamilton
will make a welcome return, to tell us more about his long career with the BBC.
Sixteen
members of the Churches & Pubs Group visited the Church of St Laurence in
Appleton on 2nd May. This is a lovely church, which was built and developed over
seven Centuries going back to the 12th. The oldest part is the nave which dates to ca
1180.
Our
guide was Roger Mitty, who gave us a fascinating talk about the history of the
Church and the Village; his own family connections with the area; and the
involvement of the Blackwell family, who were and are still, benefactors of the
Church. A beautiful stain-glass window in the south wall depicting St Laurence,
is dedicated to Sir Basil (“The Gaffer”)
and Lady Blackwell.
Some of the visitors and our
guide The next group visit, on 6th June,
will be to St Mary the Virgin’s Church in Charlbury. Contact Person: Lis Froggatt – l.froggatt66@gmail.com
The Gardening Group has
started its activities for the new season. Mary writes:
“The
Group began the season with a delightful walk through Tubney Woods. Bluebells
carpeted the ground, alongside great spreads of white wood anemones. Their
presence indicates an ancient woodland, as these appear in force only
after centuries undisturbed. Yellow celandine and pink campion added to the
tapestry. The abundance of oaks and ash trees confirmed it as a traditional
English wood while an area of soaring conifers served as reminder of its brief
life as an arboretum.”
A delightful
walk through Tubney Woods
Contact Person: Mary Gregory
– Mary@nandmg.me.uk
SIGs
A list of the Special
Interest Groups (SIGs) is on your programme and they are open to anyone who would like to
join. Just contact the person referred to as arranging the
meetings. If there is a group you would like to start then, if you
think the Committee can give you some help, please ask. For information about each SIG, please see the Groups section.
Newsletter The
membership fee
entitles you to the West Oxford U3A Newsletter which is sent out three
times per year, by email or (for those without an email connection) by
post. 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 prefer to complete a paper membership application form which can be
obtained by email or post or will be available at meetings. If you do not
have a form please contact the membership secretary listed in the 'Contact
Us' section. 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. 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.
|
