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Witney U3A operate a large number of Special Interest Groups
as follows:
[Click on Group Name (if underlined) for more information]
| Title | Meeting Time | Leader |
| Book Group 2 | 4th Wednesday 14.00 | Anita Ryder |
| Book Group 3 | 2nd Thursday 10.00 | Cherrie Harris |
| Book Group 4 | 4th Thursday 14.00 | Anne Crawford |
| Canasta | 1st Wednesday 14.00 | Shirley Rawlings |
| Card Making | 3rd Tuesday 13.30 | Kate Cole |
| Classical Music 2 | 2nd Thursday 14.00 | Pat Ball |
| Classical Music 3 | 4th Friday 10.00 | Peter Fry |
| Chess | 1st Tuesday 14.00 | Tim Partridge |
| Computer | Every Tuesday 15.30 | Max Potter |
| Cribbage | 3rd Wednesday 14.00 | Valerie Palmer |
| Croquet | Every Thursday 10.00 | Eric Cole |
| Digital Photography | 1st Wednesday 10.00 | Blanche McLean |
| English Country Dancing | 2nd and 4th Tuesday 10.30 | Margaret Gale |
| Exploring Genealogy | 4th Thursday 14.00 | Tim Partridge |
| Events Team | as arranged | Janet Lord |
| French Interest | 1st and 3rd Monday 10.30 | Pam Davidson |
| German Literature | 1st and 3rd Tuesday 14.00 | Gertrude Bending |
| History | 2nd Monday 10.00 | Richard Gardiner |
| History of Art | 2nd Tuesday 10.30 | Joy Edwards |
| History of Witney | 2nd Thursday 14.00 | Joan Jones |
| Human Studies | 2nd Wednesday 10.00 | Brian Masters |
| Jazz Appreciation | 2nd Wednesday 14.00 | Kate Cole |
| Latin | T.B.A. | Pam Jones |
| Light Music | 3rd Monday 14.00 | Pat Hobday and Yvonne Goldstein |
| Luncheon Club | 2nd Friday 12.30 | Shirley Rawlings |
| Opera Appreciation | 1st Monday 14.00 | Richard Rayson |
| Painting | 2nd Friday 09.30 | Pat Ward |
| Play Reading | Last Tuesday 14.00 | Richard Rayson |
| Poetry | 3rd Tuesday 10.00 | Cherrie Harris |
| Science and Technology | 4th Wednesday 10.00 | Ron Harris |
| Scrabble 2 | 2nd and 4th Tuesday 13.30 | Ida Awde |
| Scrabble 3 | 2nd and 4th Thursday 14.00 | Janet Carter-Franklin |
| Stately Homes | 4 visits a year | Max Potter and Shirley Rawlings |
| Theatre Visits | as arranged | Ken Searle |
| Walking | 2nd and 4th Tuesday 10.00 | David Bettle |
| Writers | 1st Wednesday 14.00 | Janet Glanville |
[Click on Group Name for more information]
Our group has now been seven years in existence, with its original eight members, and we’ve read 60 books and discussed 60 authors. We’ve watched films of some of these books, enjoyed visits to the British Library in London and the Bodleian in Oxford, viewed the dreaming spires of Oxford from the upper deck of a tourist bus, walked the Literary Tour with a guide from Blackwell’s, as well as standing in memory around J. R. R. Tolkien’s grave in Wolvercote Cemetery and searching for Barbara Pym’s house in Finstock in the pouring rain! We differ vastly in our views on some books, whether they be classic or modern, but we have now become experienced enough to predict whether each member will enjoy a book or not! At our meetings each member gives their opinion of the book - plot, character, language, followed by a general discussion. More recently a reading of Jerome K. Jerome's amusing 1886 novel, "Tree Men in a Boat" was followed by our own trip on the Thames. Since then we have read "On Chesil Beach" by Ian McEwan, which caused a divided appraisal from all of us. Books planned are "Ivanhoe" by Sir Walter Scott, John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath", Anton Chekhov's Short Stories and Virginia Woolf's "Mrs Dalloway".
Anita Ryder
This Group started in May 2006. Titles covered during 2006 and 2007 included "White on Black" by Ruben Gallego, "Snow Flowers and the Secret Fan", by Lisa See; "A Thousand Years of Good Prayers", by Yiyin Li; and Clare Tomalin’s “Samuel Pepys”, all of which provoked much discussion. We have read and discussed “Adam Bede” by George Eliot; “The History of Love” by Nicole Krauss; “No Name” by Wilkie Collins, “Gentlemen and Players” by Joanne Harris, “The Inheritance of Loss” by Kiran Desai, “Rebecca” by Daphne du Maurier and “Imperium” by Robert Harris. A particular highlight, reading “Jude the Obscure” by Thomas Hardy, and then undertaking a walk in Oxford (Christminster in the book!) led by Ida Awde. The 2007 programme also included “Half of a Yellow Sun” by Chimamando Ngozi Adichie, “The Bean Tree” by Barbara Kingsolver and “Cloud Atlas” by David Mitchell; "The inheritance of Loss", by Kiran Desai; and "Rebecca" by Daphne du Maurier. We recently enjoyed “Death Comes for the Archbishop” by Willa Cathar generated lively discussion. Initially it appeared to be a simple novel, but its depths soon became evident. It is set in New Mexico in pioneer times and the characterisation of the two French priests is most impressive. Another book much enjoyed was “Burning Bright” by Tracy Chevalier. As a result of a child’s death, a Dorsetshire family move to London, where they find lodgings next door to William Blake and his wife. It is a vivid account of life in London in those times. Knowledge about the Blakes, hand-made buttons and Astley’s Circus proved fascinating. Having a group of 10 members ensures that there are always sufficient members at each meeting to make it viable. Once or twice a year we have a planning meeting when we enjoy a “pot-luck” lunch. Books for 2008 included modern fiction, classics and biographies.
Cherrie Harris
We have been meeting since March 2007, now have 8 members and we meet in each other’s houses. We read light classics and modern novels and are presently reading “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. To celebrate our 6 month birthday, we discussed “Girl with the Pearl Earring” by Tracy Chevalier over lunch at the New Inn at Minster Lovell!
Anne Crawford
We are fortunate to be able to have the use of a computer room at Wood Green School, equipped with modern networked computers and a good range of software including the Microsoft "Office" suite (Word, Excel, Access, Power Point, etc.), the digital photograph editing programmes Adobe "Photoshop", Corel "Paintshop Pro", Adobe "Illustrator" (vector graphics and drawing/painting) and Serif "Pageplus" Desk Top Publishing. We also have access to the internet for "surfing the web" though, (since it is a school) with certain necessary restrictions (e.g. no "YouTube", social networks or access to alcohol related or comparable adult websites). If you already have an internet account then you can send and read your email at the school via the web. No formal teaching is given, but informal assistance is provided by the Group Leader, and other willing members, on the programmes available. Meetings are after school on Tuesday afternoons in term time between 1530 and 1700hrs.
Max Potter
We have three full-size lawns and a half-size field courts at Eynsham and we play both Golf Croquet (every Tuesday and Saturday 2-5pm and Thursday 10-12am), and Association Croquet (Thursday evening). We play in League matches and friendly matches against other teams in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire, e.g. Abingdon, Henley, High Wycombe, etc., and generally do well. The club has room for more members, and anyone interested is very welcome to come along and give it a try; you will be treated gently, at least at first!! If you think you might like to give it a try, see Brian Hitchins or myself, who will be happy to arrange some lessons.
Eric Cole
English Country Dancing Group
The Group meets in the Upper Hall at the Methodist Church, Witney High Street, on the second and fourth Tuesday each month, from 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m. It is an enjoyable way to keep fit. Our caller, Ian, is a marvellous teacher and very patient. It is not only good exercise for the body, but it also keeps the mind working overtime. We spend a lot of time laughing - and this is also said to be beneficial. So if you would like to have a go at dancing Cherry Stones, Sir Watkin's Jig, Witney Weavers, Sybil's Roundabout, or any of the many other dances in our repertoire, why don’t you join us? The men in our group are very much outnumbered so if there are any brave enough to come along they will be especially welcome.
Margaret Gale
Exploring Genealogy Group
We began meeting in January 2007 looking at how to use Census Returns, Registers of Births Marriages and Deaths, and the International Genealogical Index to undertake family research. We have a wide range of individuals from experienced genealogists to complete beginners, some of whom are computer literate, and others who do not have a computer. We have now settled down to a group of about 10 people and we meet in homes on the 4th Thursday of the month at 2pm. Our usual pattern is to hear about a particular aspect of the records available and how to use them, then we have a cup of tea and share ideas and help each other with problems which we have met. We hope to go on meeting for a further six months and then to stop and have a long break so that another group can start again later. If anyone else would like to join please contact
Tim Partridge
Each month a member researches an aspect of the Topic currently under investigation and presents his/her findings to the group for discussion. Topics studied recently have included Irish History (Cromwell's influence, the potato famine, Home Rule and Partition, and the Civil War), the social history of Britain since the restoration (Poor Laws, Work Houses, the relationship between Crime and Punishment) and Slavery. We started 2007 with a three meeting consideration of the Crimean War - its causes and the events of the war itself, Turkey (its position in the 19th century, the effect of the 1st World War and its current situation). We are planning next to look at ancient civilisations (Aztec, Mayan, Inca, Greek, etc). Possible subjects for the future are the European influence on native American tribes, why did the Industrial Revolution start here and not elsewhere, and its influence on British society, how did Parliamentary democracy evolve, and aspects of European history (population movements, rise and fall of empires, etc.).
We meet in a member’s house, which restricts us to around 10 in number. Several other members have expressed an interest in joining the Group, so we now need to consider whether we hire a room somewhere, or form a second Group.
Richard Gardiner
The Group started in October 2006 with a meeting to which each member brought along a picture that they particularly liked, discussion of which lasted for four monthly meetings! It is now planned to cover the early Renaissance period and work our way chronologically through the major artists.
Joy Edwards
A global view of the development of human culture, from the first world colonists (up to 200,000 years ago), the development of settlements and villages, to the emergence of the first towns, states, cities and civilisations, and the present day peoples of the world.
Brian Masters
We have been going now for almost two years now. We have been studying "History of Jazz" videos and learnt how difficult it was for black musicians and singers to make a living wage. Despite the hardships some of the jazz performers endured, they composed and played wonderful music. It was the tenacity and courage of ordinary people, black and white, which broke through the violent segregation, so that jazz musicians of all classes and creeds could play together. Members of the Group provide the music of their choice each month, and it is interesting the variety of compositions and musicians which are offered. We have gone to many jazz evenings and a "Jazz on a Midsummer's Day" event at Lains Barn, Wantage. Many members go regularly to the monthly Jazz evenings at The Comrades Club, Wantage. Thank you to all our members who hosted the meetings and chose the music. There has been a lot of interest in joining the group and a second Jazz appreciation Group may be feasible.
Kate Cole
Light Music Group.
We are a small friendly group meeting on the third Monday of each month in a members home. We embrace every kind of music from Pop to Opera and everything in -between. Each of us bring two or three CD's and we share our favourite tracks; this ensures that we have a wide variety of music, with something to everybody's taste.
Yvonne Goldstein
We have a band of about 20 people who meet for lunch on the 2nd Friday of each month. Our most regular venue is the Windmill Carvery in Asthall, but we have a change every few months. Would anyone be interested in helping to set up a Sunday Luncheon Club on the same lines as the Friday one?
Shirley Rawlings
When you think about having a go at painting and drawing, do you say "I couldn't do that, I can't even draw a straight line"? Well, drawing a straight line rarely comes into it! Nature does not often use them and if I want to draw a building I use a ruler! If this has caused you to feel a little differently, think about coming to the U3A painting group. The class is informal and we all encourage each other and hopefully I can help with practical suggestions and introduce others to techniques I have learnt. You can use any medium you like except oils.
Patricia Ward
We are a friendly group, meeting at 2pm on the last Tuesday of each month, in the Athenaeum Room at the Corn Exchange (the smallish room just on the left of the entrance). We read plays of all kinds. The Westgate Library in Oxford provides a very good service: we choose several plays at a time from their collection, and the sets are then transferred to Witney Library for us to take out when we want them - all for free! Recently we have enjoyed 'Rebecca', Ayckbourne's 'Bedroom Farce' and Moliere's 'Tartuffe', 'Quiet Wedding', 'The Seagull' and 'East Lynne'. We would welcome a few new members, so if you're interested in the theatre and enjoy reading, come and join us!
Richard Rayson
Since we began in February
2006, we have concentrated on contemporary poets. Often the poets were new to
us, but the variety of interpretations from members of the Group has proved
fascinating. We often find that one session is not sufficient to do
justice to most of the poets chosen, so we may plan to revisit some in the
future.
Not only do we discuss the poems, but members also read some of them aloud, and
sometimes we are able to listen to tapes or CDs of the poems being read by the
author. A group of us also went to Roger McGough’s presentation at the
Oxford Playhouse in November.
So
far this year we have studied poems by Ted Hughes, Sylvia Plath, Louis McNeice,
Carol Ann Duffy and James Fenton. We are currently examining the work of Tony
Harrison, before moving on to Dylan Thomas, and attended a performance of “Under
Milk Wood” at Wood Green School in September.
A recent theme was “Holidays and Places”, and it generated much enthusiasm
and variety. We are now studying Yeats; the Brownings; and, “Winter Poems”, followed by a ‘bring and share’ lunch, when we will
also formulate plans for 2009.
Cherrie Harris
Formed in September 2004, we arrange visits to research and manufacturing facilities in the Oxfordshire area and also feature occasional informal talks given by members on aspects of their careers or hobbies. Visits undertaken recently included the BMW/Mini plant at Cowley, The Oxford Bus and William Morris Car Museums at Long Hanborough, the Joint European Torus Nuclear Fusion Project at the Culham Laboratories, Didcot Power Station, RAF Brize Norton, the Didcot Railway Centre, Wychwood Brewery, Bletchley Park Museum, the GWR/Brunel Steam Museum, Swindon, the Heritage Motor Museum, Gaydon, the "Diamond Project" at Harwell, and the National Waterways Museum in Gloucester, the Battle of Britain Control Room at RAF Uxbridge, the Land Rover factory in Solihull, the Royal Mail Sorting Office in Cowley, the Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museums in Oxford, the Buckinghamshire Railway Centre at Quainton, and the RAF Museum Hendon. A small group of us also went to a Meeting at the RAL Harwell, on “Darwinian Evolution v. Creationism” which featured 2 lectures and a lengthy debate/discussion. Current membership amounts to 26, but there is no limit, and any U3A member with an interest in Science or Technology is welcome to join us on one of our meetings or visits.
Ron Harris
The group makes four visits each year between April/May and September/October and is now starting its 14th year. Originally we used member's cars and sometimes a minibus, but nowadays we usually get a large enough party to warrant a coach. Recent visits have included Clarence House, Sezincote, Stoneleigh Abbey, and Waddesdon Manor, Arbury Hall, Madresfield Court, Lacock Abbey, Chartwell, The Vyne, Polesden Lacey and Longleat.
Shirley Rawlings and Max Potter
Examples of visits made recently include performances of "Tosca", and "Die Fledermaus" at the New Theatre, Oxford, "The Merchant of Venice" at Hatherlop Castle , "Coppélia", "La Traviata" and "Much Ado about Nothing".
Ken Searle
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