WITNEY

Winter 2011 Newsletter

 From our Vice Chairman

    As most of you will know by now, Pam Jones stood down as Chair of Witney U3A at our AGM in May.  This was after many years as Chair and on the Committee.  Following on her excellent work as Chairman of the Thames Valley Network she is now, in addition, on the National Executive Committee (NEC) as South East Regional Trustee, in spite of which we still see her at most meetings and at group events.  Congratulations, Pam!

    No member of the new Committee felt able to take on the role of Chair, so I as Vice Chair for the second year, agreed to chair Committee Meetings and set up a rota of Volunteer Chairs to preside over the twice monthly meetings at the Methodist Church.  Joining me on that rota are Barbara Mann, Valma Gilkes and Janet Lord; very many thanks to them.  This means that attending our meetings is a bit like watching ‘Have I got News for You’ since you are not sure from one week to the next who will be in the Chair!

    Obviously we would like someone to take on the role fully as Chair and we are hoping that one of you will feel able to offer yourself for the post at the next AGM in May 2010. 

    We have had some excellent speakers over the past few months and many thanks to Valerie Palmer for her hard work and dedication in arranging such variety in the presentations that we have. 

    Looking forward to the coming months, our Christmas Meeting on December 15th will not feature a party this year, but we will have special entertainment in the form of ‘Dickens at Christmas’ with Vera Hughes and David Weller.  There will be a mince pie for everyone to have with their tea/coffee.  Instead of the Christmas Party there will be a ‘New Years Lunch’ on Thursday 12 January 2012 at the Witney Lakes Resort; a 3-course meal for £18.  Tickets are now on sale at all meetings, with the final day for purchase being December 15th.  Demand is likely to be heavy, so buy them soon! 

    Whilst our twice monthly meetings are enjoyed and well attended, for many members the preference is to participate in one or more of the over 40 groups that Witney U3A organise.  They are more intimate and often provide greater learning opportunities, and if that is your main reason for joining U3A, that is fine with me.  We held our bi-annual Fresher’s Fair on Nov 10th and I hope many of you used it as an opportunity to find out more about the great variety of groups.  Whether your interest is in Reading, Walking, Jazz Music or Latin, there are groups to suit most tastes. However, if you have an interest in, or want to learn about something that is not on our current list, then please do have a word with Kate Cole our Groups Co-ordinator, who has a table at our twice monthly meetings.

   Although a bit early, Christmas Greetings, and Best Wishes for the New Year, to all our members.

 David Bettle

Reports by some of our Special Interest Groups:

Book Group 3.

    Our Book Group meets at 10.00am on the 2nd Thursday of each month. In December we hold a “Bring and Share” Lunch before which we plan our reading programme for the year ahead. Our choices range from classics to recently published novels.

     Recent examples:

“The New House” by Lettice Cooper, takes place over one day when a family downsizes from a large secluded house within its own grounds to a much smaller dwelling overlooking a housing estate.  The characters are richly portrayed as each in their different ways comes to terms with the stresses of the move.

“Still Alice” by Lisa Genova, which tells us about a 50 year old Harvard Professor and her family as they cope with her early onset of Alzheimer’s disease.  It is a moving, compassionate account which generated much discussion.

     We have 9 members at present which works well.  Any more would make accommodation and discussion difficult. It is sufficient to ensure that enough members can hold a meeting even when there are one or two away on holiday.

Cherrie Harris

 

Chess Group.

    We have settled down to a six strong group with four average players and two learners and we meet in a private house on the 1st Tuesday of the month at 2pm.  We play competitive games which last about an hour in all with winner playing winner and loser playing loser second time round.  We could cope with two more players and we are happy to welcome beginners or more experienced players.

 Tim Partridge

 

Classical Music Group 2.

    Listening to music is something we can all enjoy; so many different forms of music, whether classical, light music, opera, jazz and contemporary etc.  This group has continued to flourish even with our quite small (but select) membership!  As the title suggests we listen to classical music selected by the members, so we aim to play a variety of pieces at each meeting so that there is always something to please most people.  We may choose a particular composer for a meeting or have a theme such as fire, water or colour.  Each member contributes at each meeting and we enjoy discussing our favourites and others not so popular.  Sometimes we have been agreeably surprised at what we have just heard and we realise there is always something new.

 Patricia Ball

 

Computer Group.

    Any member wishing to improve his/her computer skills and pick up some tips would be welcome at our group meetings at Wood Green School on a Tuesday afternoon during term time from 3.30-5pm in the Design Dept.  The school computers run on Windows XP and have a wide range of software as well as internet access (with some restrictions).  Please see me for more details.

 Max Potter

 

History Group.

     We do not follow any particular curriculum but decide at a meeting what subject we wish to pursue next, which, of course, could take up several meetings to go through all the different aspects of it, as has the most recent subject, the Industrial Revolution, which we are just finishing.  Some of the other subjects we have looked at are the Poor Laws and Workhouses, Ireland (the potato famine, Cromwell’s influence, Civil War, Independence, etc.), Slavery and the Slave Trade (not the same thing).

     Some of the new members who have recently joined may be interested in this subject.  But to avoid the expense of hiring a room, we meet in a member’s house, which restricts us to 10 in number.  We are at the moment two short of this number, so if anyone is interested please get in touch.  Depending on numbers expressing an interest it may mean that we either form a second Group or start to hire a room, but until we know numbers, we cannot make a decision.

 Richard Gardiner

 

History of Witney Group. 

    The group began in November 2010.  Initially we met and decided on areas of Witney we would like to concentrate on.  The members then divided into smaller groups to pursue their interests.  We have had two speakers, Jane Cavell from the museum, and Keith Crawford, a member of the Early family.  In July we made a visit to the museum where a display of Witney memorabilia was on.  In August, September and October we followed the ‘Witney Wool and Blanket Trail’, copies of which are available from the Information Office.  In September we concentrated on Wood Green and were very fortunate to have a Juliet Curry to accompany us.  She had made a study of the area and gave us a wonderful tour.  The group is very informal and at our next meeting we will decide the direction we will take over the next few months.

Joan Jones

 

Light Music Group.

    The monthly Light Music Group continues to flourish.  Each member brings along a couple of CDs, and we each play two or three of our chosen pieces.  This format works really well and ensures great variety of music, from classical to pop, and everything in between.

Yvonne Goldstein

 

Opera Group.

    We have continued to meet at members’ houses at 2.00pm on the first Monday of the month.  Whoever is presenting the opera introduces it briefly, and then plays extracts from it (on DVD or CD) lasting about one and a half hours.  Operas we have heard recently have included ‘Die Fledermaus’ by Johann Strauss, ‘Porgy and Bess’ by Gershwin, ‘Eugene Onegin’ by Tchaikovsky, and ‘Katya Kabanova’ by Janacek.  If anyone is interested in joining please contact me.

 Richard Rayson

 

Playreading Group.

    We have twelve members at present, and we meet on the last Tuesday of the month, usually in the Buffet Room of the Langdale Hall.  We borrow sets of plays from the Westgate Library in Oxford, and those we have read recently included ‘This Happy Breed’ by Noel Coward, ‘Lady Windermere’s Fan’ by Oscar Wilde, ‘The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie’ by Jay Presson Allen and ‘A Murder is Announced’ by Agatha Christie.

 Richard Rayson

 

Poetry Group.

    Our Group meets at 10.00am on the third Tuesday of each month.  It would appear, however, that a second Poetry Group would be worthwhile.  We currently have 11 members, but have been approached by several people keen to join.  The situation was discussed by the group, and we decided that since we generally meet at people’s houses it would not be practical to have additional members.  We plan our meetings only one or two ahead, because we frequently find that we need to spend additional time on certain poets or items.  The publisher, Bloodaxe, produces contemporary poetry anthologies which prove to be invaluable sources of works.  Each member of the Group has a copy of “Being Alive”, “Staying Alive”, and, “Being Human”.  This saves endless photocopying and purchases of individual poet’s works.  Poets discussed during 2011 include Seamus Heaney, Carol Ann Duffy, Paul Durean and T.S. Eliot.  Topics have been covered from Sections entitled “Me, The Earth, and The Universe”, “Man and Beast”, “Exploring the World”, and “Taste and See”.

Cherrie Harris

 

Stately Homes Group.

    The four (actually five) properties we visited this year were as follows:

April - One of our longest trips and a combined visit to two English Heritage sites, so we got free entry.  Witley Court near Worcester is the ruin of a palatial 19^th Century mansion, still very impressive.  Set in beautifully restored gardens together with the splendid Perseus and Andromeda fountain, a very fine baroque church and an attractive tea room for lunch.  We then proceeded to the very different Stokesay Castle near Ludlow, a fortified medieval manor house with Great Hall dated 1291.

June - A repeat visit from April 2004 took us again to one of the ten “Treasure Houses of Britain”, historic Woburn Abbey, with its very attractive gardens and other features.

August - Hatfield House, again a longish journey but another “Treasure House”, well worth a visit and where Queen Elizabeth I spent much of her youth and heard of her accession.  Unfortunately the gardens were extra - £4 for the East garden and £8.50 for the West Garden which was housing a temporary Henry Moore exhibition.

October - Another first, this time to Ham House near Richmond-on-Thames.  Should have been a fairly short journey but problems with the coach and an inadvertent tour of Richmond Park meant that we did not get there till 1pm, just in time for lunch.  However, the coach company did refund our fare, it was a beautiful day, and generally regarded as an enjoyable outing.

Max Potter

 

Science and Technology Group.

    Our Group was first formed in September 2004.  It arranges visits to research and manufacturing facilities, and technology related museums, in the Oxfordshire area and also features informal talks given by members on aspects of their careers or hobbies.

    During this past year we have enjoyed some interesting talks by members of the Group: “The Early Days of Cash Machines”; “Hitler’s Contribution to the UK Atomic Bomb Project”; “Planning and Development of New Towns” and “From Photo-Reconnaissance to Flight Simulators”, as well as visits to the Natural History and Pitt Rivers Museums in Oxford, and Bletchley Park.

    A virtually full programme is scheduled for the rest of this year and into 2012, including talks on “Measuring Stellar Distances”, “Colour”, “The Treatment of Toxic and Hazardous Waste”, and “Solar Power for domestic Electricity Generation”, together with visits to the Morgan Car Factory in Malvern, The Gloucester and Warwickshire Railway, Combe Mill, Didcot Railway Centre, and The Lord Rank Food Research Laboratories, High Wycombe.

    Several members regularly attend the Rutherford Appleton Laboratories Public Lectures, and the Science Oxford Lecture Programme.

    Membership currently numbers 26, but there is no limit and any member of U3A is welcome to join one of our visits or attend a talk.

Ron Harris

 

Walking Group.

    Fresh Air and gorgeous views!

    The group continues to thrive with over 20 registered members and between 6 and 10 on each walk.  Over the past few months we have walked around Coombe visiting the Roman Villa on the way, been to Church Enstone on the Wychwood way with wonderful view towards Chipping Norton, and taken in part of the Otmoor Nature Reserve whilst walking from the Abingdon Arms in Beckley.

    Walks are on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month and only torrential rain and heavy snowstorms prevent us from going.  Walks are between 6 and 7 miles and take up to 3 hours, and walkers can opt for a pub lunch at the end if they so wish. You do need waterproof boots and good clothing. We are a friendly and chatty group and always welcome new members, so if you would like to join us please contact me.

David Bettle

 

Writers Group.

    The Group meets on the first Wednesday of each month at 2pm at the home of Jean Smith.  Together we choose a subject for a short story and the following month read our stories to each other.  This is always enjoyable.  We are not adversely critical of one another but rather seek to be encouraging. We welcome new members.

Janet Glanvill

 

Thames Valley Network Report.

    A residential school entitled ‘Riverside Revealed’ was held in Wellington College, Berkshire from 26 – 28^th October.  It was the culmination of the Riverside Project, which had begun 18 months ago.  Many aspects of the Thames were studied by many U3As in the Network, including Wildlife, Industrial Heritage, some U3As ‘adopted a lock’, a River Boats day was held at Beale Park, several Thames towns were studied, among them Henley, Wallingford, Dorchester and Abingdon, many aspects of the river were photographed, an Art group painted separate sections of Windsor Bridge and a cross-stitch embroidery of the Thames Path was created.  The Thames Path between its source and Windsor was walked in long and shorter stretches.  At the residential school, an exhibition was mounted and it was felt that the standard was so good, that it is hoped to display it again at Abingdon’s Network Conference on 16th June 2012.  Three days of activities were organized with outside speakers talking on subjects such as preservation of the Thames Path and the wildlife.  A soirée was held on one evening, with entertainment (excellent) being provided by Wokingham U3A.  On the other evening a quiz about the River Thames was organised.  As this was held in the bar, it turned out to be quite an evening.  Three meals a day were included and all this for the price of £118!  If another of these is ever organised again, I recommend taking part as all participants said what a wonderful experience this had been.  The next Network activity is the Opera Study day in Rewley House Oxford on November 15th.  This has been full for some time with a waiting list.

    On March 9th 2012, a study day is being held in High Wycombe on ‘English Social History’ and places are going fast.  Details on notice board.

Pam Jones

 

Notes from your South East Regional Trustee. 

    I thought that you might be interested to know what I have been doing since retiring as Chairman of Witney U3A.  You might guess that I haven’t been sitting at home cleaning (I wish!).  I realise that U3A members are not really interested in what happens outside their own U3A but an awful lot does go on.  In order to make administration easier, the country is divided into Regions, which follow government regions.  We are in the South East Region, which has the greatest number of U3As (159 at present but more are already in the pipeline). I cover Oxfordshire, Berkshire Buckinghamshire, Surrey, Hampshire, Kent, Sussex and the Isle of Wight.

    So what does it mean to be a Trustee?  I serve on the National Executive Committee of the Third Age Trust.  The NEC is like the Board of a company, with one huge difference.  A Board usually controls a company but in the case of the Trust, the members control the NEC as we are a ‘bottom-up’ organisation. 

    So what do I do?  I attend meetings in London every two months and in the intervening months, I attend a Development Sub-committee (also in London).  This committee is dedicated to the support of existing U3As and the setting-up of new U3As.  Additionally, I am expected to attend meetings throughout my region, when I am invited.  In November and December, I shall be visiting Bognor Regis to present a Certificate of Affiliation to a new U3A, attending a Network meeting in Farnham, Surrey, running a public meeting in Ringwood with a view to setting up a new U3A there, attending a meeting in Hassocks (not quite sure where that is yet!) and Crawley in Sussex.  Also attending an induction day at National Office in Bromley, Kent.  Last but not least, I am still Chairman of Thames Valley Network, so will be running a representatives meeting in Watlington.

    All very exciting!  It is early days but I am looking forward to playing my part in the development of the U3A in this country.

Pam Jones