News

NEWSLETTER

Registered charity no. 1108125 Issue 101 SEPTEMBER/OCTOBER 2010

This Newsletter is published on the Internet simultaneously with the printing. If any material relating to any individual should not be so published, please contact the Editor.

CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

Autumn is upon us, reminding of another year of activities and lectures. I take this opportunity of thanking all those who have arranged another list of interesting topics and attractive speakers for this year. I also thank all those who lead the various interest groups inspiring us to enlarge our knowledge and enabling us to do better things.

Betty Boyce has done a noble job as Membership Secretary for many years, for which we give our sincere thanks. Please support our new Membership Secretary, Mrs. Mary Iredale, by sending her your membership fees as soon as possible.

I look forward to seeing you at our next Monday meeting at the Botley Baptist Hall on 13 September 2010.

Brian Dent

Chairman

SUBSCRIPTIONS

The annual subscription is due on 1 September. In order to avoid the long queues at our first meeting, and to make the work more efficient for our Membership Secretary, we are asking you to send a cheque for £15.00 made payable to West Oxford U3A, direct to Mary Iredale, Membership Secretary, West Oxford U3A, Braeside, Harcourt Hill, Oxford OX2 9AS, with a stamped and addressed envelope (6” x 4½”) for receipt of your membership card. A RENEWAL FORM IS ATTACHED TO THIS NEWSLETTER.

MEETINGS IN BOTLEY BAPTIST CHURCH HALL

Meetings are normally held on the 2 nd and 4 th Mondays of each month at 1430h. We look forward to welcoming you all, and hope also to see some new members.

Everyone welcome to the talks: For non-members there is a temporary membership fee of £2.00 For members of other U3A groups there is a fee of £1.00.

13 September; Eda Forbes – “The Oxfordshire Blue Plaques Scheme”

Eda Forbes has been the Secretary to the Oxfordshsire Blue Plaques Board for over 5 years and has gained some fascinating insights into the life and work of those who have been awarded Blue Plaques in Oxfordshire. In her talk she will describe her work and the story behind some of the Blue Plaques that can be found in and around Oxford.

27 September: Alastair Lack – “Travels with Auntie – my life with the BBC World Service”

Alastair Lack was with the BBC for 27 years making programmes for both television and radio, but almost always for the World Service. He will be talking about the origins of the BBC World Service, his time with it, places visited (some forty countries, including USA, India, various African countries and the Falklands) and people he met (Mrs. Thatcher, George W. Bush, Nelson Mandela, etc.).

11 October: Colin Campbell – “Life as a single-handed country doctor”

Dr. Campbell was the village GP in Waddesdon for 31 years, ministering to all the denizens of this Rothchilds manor. He will recount the good, and the bad, points of being on his own in a country setting, giving a new meaning to what we now know as “NHS Direct”.

25 October: Roger Jenking – “The burning of Oxford, 1009 AD”

Much is known about Oxford’s history after the Norman Conquest but few know that Oxford was nearly burned down in 1009 AD. Come and find out!

AREA REPRESENTATIVES

The representatives, to whom all matters relating to Newsletter distribution should be referred, are:

Botley: Alec Russell (01865 244085) Chawley: Betty Boyce (01865 864275)

Cumnor: Joan Airey (01865 864088) Dean Court: Brian Dent (01865 862534)

Elms Rise: Alec Russell (01865 244085) Osney: Tony Roberts (01865 721596)

YOUR NEWSLETTER

Please send all contributions, notices, etc. for the next issue covering November/December 2010, to: Elizabeth Stevens, 104 Kennington Road, Kennington, Oxford OX1 5PE, (01865 739252) not later than Friday, 22 October 2010.

ART HISTORY/APPRECIATION (15 members) Contact: Terence Carter (01865 863379)

Visits to the Ashmolean Museumnormally take place on the second Tuesday or the second Thursday of each month, meeting just inside the main entrance to the Museum, at 2.30 pm sharp. For our standard guided tours, there is a suggested donation of £2.50 per person. Please let Terence know if you would like to attend. The following have been arranged:

Tuesday, 14 September: Guided tour – Money: the Value of the Past – Gabriella Blakey.

Thursday, 14 October: at the Museum of Modern Art (please note!). Meet at the entrance to the museum, down St. Ebbe’s Street from Bonn Square, on the corner of St. Ebbe’s Street/Pembroke Street.

BIRD IDENTIFICATION Leaders: Gilliane Sills (01865 721644) and David Fotherby (01865 514721)

The Bird Identification Group meets from 2.30 pm to 3.30 pm on the first and third Tuesdays of the month, at The Map House, Vernon Avenue, Oxford OX2 9AU. We look at films of birds and information about them, listen to bird calls and song, and attempt an informal quiz.

There will be meetings on 7 and 21 September, and 15 and 19 October.

BRIDGE ONE (14 members) Contact: Gordon Balme (01865 511387)

Meetings take place on the 1 st and 3 rd Mondays of each month from 2 pm to 5 pm. The group will meet on the following dates: 6 September, at Marion Snelling’s house and on 20 September at Norman Lipman’s house. Venues for 4 and 18 October will be announced at a later date.

Will Group members please remember to phone 01865 511387 with any queries or alterations to their availability as soon as possible so that places can be filled to make tables of 4.

BRIDGE TWO Contact: Gordon Balme (01865 511387)

The aim of this Group is to discuss different aspects of the ACOL bidding system and how to improve your card play, all done in an informal way. Some members play with the other group from time to time. The following dates (Wednesdays) have been arranged for the next two months: 8 September and 22 September and 6 and 20 October. Details of venues will be advised later.

Please get in touch if you are interested in trying your hand at bridge. This is a very relaxed group and there is room for more members.

CHURCHES AND PUBS (20 members) Contact: Joan Airey (01865 864088)

Visits are held on the first Friday in the month at 11.30 am unless otherwise stated.

3 September: Church of St. Mary the Virgin, Buscot.

Contact: Sue Troman (01865 240502)

1 October Bampton Church

Contact: Pamela Assender (01865 862643)

CINEMA GROUP (10 members) Contact: Liese Cattle (01235 524307)

We meet on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 7.00 pm for discussion over a shared meal, taking turns to be host. We choose a couple of films each month, mainly from The Phoenix programme, which we view independently, and occasionally we choose a DVD.

Although the group is full at the moment, guests are very welcome occasionally. There is also a move afoot to start another group. If anyone is interested in being a guest or starting another group, please contact Liese or Chris on the above number.

COMPUTER USERS’ GROUP (10 members) Contact: Richard Sills (01865 721644)

All meetings will be held at The Map House, Vernon Avenue, OX2 9AU. Meetings begin at 10.30 am usually on the first and third Monday of each month.

The next dates are: 6 and 20 September and 4 and 18 October.

CRAFT GROUP Contact: Janice Marshall (01865 873077)

Meetings are normally held on the 3 rd Friday of the month at 10.30 am at 68 Montagu Road. We are interested in exploring various crafts. So far we have tried knitting, crochet card making, quilling and beadwork. Visits have been arranged to specialist craft days and craft fairs. New members welcome. Dates for the next meetings are: 17 September – Christmas Cards

15 October and 25 November.

DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY Leader Gilliane Sills (01865 721644)

The Digital Photography group meets from 10.30 am to 11.30 am on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month at The Map House, Vernon Avenue, Oxford OX2 9AU. We explore the facilities available on digital cameras, the use of software to enhance and combine photographs, discuss the composition of photos and present photos taken on specific themes.

There will be meetings on 9 and 23 September, and 14 and 28 October.

LANGUAGES (RUSSIAN AND MODERN GREEK) Contact: David Taylor (01235 525455)

The Languages Group is concentrating at present on Modern Greek, and is making good progress with the BBC course ‘Greek Language and People’. We meet on Thursday afternoons. There would be room for one or two more people, but some knowledge of the language would be very desirable.

LISTENING TO MUSIC (8 members) Contact: Michael Dowsett (01865 721147)

Meetings are normally held on the third Thursday of each month, at 2.15 pm. We meet in members’ homes and the host plays CDs of broadly classical music. New members are welcome.

SPANISH (4 members + 1 from Oxford U3A) Contact: Elia Brown (01865 723589)

Meetings are held on Mondays at 1030-1200h at Elia Brown’s, 12 Tumbling Bay Court, Botley Road, Oxford.

TENPIN BOWLING Contact: Gordon Balme (01865 511387)

The group meets at the Bowlplex at the Kassam Leisure Stadium at 2.00 pm on the 4 th Thursday of the month. We did not meet in July/August because of members being on holiday but we will be meeting on 23 September and 28 October. We normally play two games which take about 90 minutes maximum, but this depends on numbers playing. We get concessionary rates and would like to see more members joining in. Body strength is not a limiting factor – a sharp eye and a sense of balance will get good results. Get in touch if you would like some more information.

WALKING GROUP (15-20 members) Contact: Terence Carter (01865 863379)

Walks normally commence at 10 am on the 2 nd and 4 th Fridays of each month. If bad weather threatens, please ring Terence (or the named leader of the walk) on the day of the walk to check whether it is going ahead; otherwise you may have a wasted journey.

10 September: Little Wittenham or Dorchester to Shillingford (6-7 or 5 miles for the round trip including a lunch stop). This is a Thames Valley Network walk organised by Wokingham U3A. It will be necessary to let Terence know as early as you can, and not later than Friday, 3 September, please, which members of West Oxford U3A intend to come on this walk, and to specify your requirements:

(a) pub lunch at the Shillingford Bridge Hotel

(b) the longer walk, from Little Wittenham over Wittenham Clumps to Shillingford, or

For both options, (b) and (c), the return will be along the river from Shillingford, after lunch. The starting time for both walks is 10.30 am. Further information will be sent to us nearer the day by Patsy Thornton of Wokingham U3A (01344 774812 or 07896 316891), but it is important to let Terence know if you are coming.

24 September: Brill (~4 miles, with a climb back to Brill at the end). Organiser, Sally Roberts (01865 721596). Park near the Windmill at Brill, at 10 am. Suggested route: Headington – Crematorium – Horton-cum-Studley – Bernwood – Oakley – Brill. Approaching the village, keep left, and then turn left into Windmill Street.

8 October: Kennington and Radley (6 or 4.5 miles)

This is another Thames Valley Network walk, starting at Sandford, and organised by West Oxford U3A. Once again, it will be necessary to have a firm commitment to Terence of those intending to come on this walk, as early as you can, and not later than Friday, 1 October, please, and once again to specify your requirements:

(a) pub lunch at the end of the walk

(b) the longer walk

Both walks will be circular, starting at 10.30 am, and further details will be supplied by Terence nearer the time.

22 October: Cambridge. We propose to spend the day in Cambridge, travelling by bus, having lunch and walking and sightseeing in the afternoon. We will travel on the 9.35 am bus (X5) from Gloucester Green, arriving in Cambridge at 12.55 pm. Bus passes may be used on this service. Suggested time of departure from Cambridge is 5.40 pm, arriving Oxford George Street at 8.55 pm. There are connecting bus services between Redbridge Park and Ride and Oxford City Centre. Please let Terence know if you intend to come.