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Chinnor & District U3A |
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Home | The U3A | Activities | Interest
Groups | U3AMeetings | Interest Group Meetings |
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Special Interest Groups |
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Art History
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Description
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Aims and Objectives: To encourage discussion and appreciation of artists and their works, resulting in an enhanced knowledge and understanding of art.
We study the British artist at
present, their paintings and the artists themselves and compare the
difference in British and European art.
We the “learners” research the artist and at our monthly meeting we
all express what we have found out and in doing so, it is surprising how much
we achieve in the knowledge, to the point we have even corrected guides on
rare occasions. Do not be put off from thinking
of joining because you like paintings but don’t feel you know anything about them.
You will be pleasantly surprised at what you get from studying Art History: a
whole new world.
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Meetings
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3rd Friday of each month from January to June and September to November. |
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Venue
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Village Centre |
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Cost
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Small subscriptions towards our
annual trip to an |
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Group Leader
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Rosemary Heasman & Audrey Farman |
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Art/Painting
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Description
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Aims and Objectives: To encourage members to express their enjoyment of practical art, regardless of skill level, within an informal friendly atmosphere.
The Art/Painting group is an informal one, catering for all of us who enjoy drawing and painting, whatever our level of skill (and who should be the judge of that?). We each choose whatever medium we prefer on the day, it doesn’t matter. Our subjects range over still life; working from photographs and themes such as trees, water, limited palette etc., with a quick demonstration from the leader. Formal classes are not the rue, but help, advice and encouragement are on tap. The meetings are friendly and sociable.
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Meetings
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2nd and 4th Wednesdays |
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Venue
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Village Centre |
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Time
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Cost
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£2 per session |
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Group Leader
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Kay Hazlewood & Ted Farman |
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Bridge
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Description
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Aims and Objectives:
To provide an opportunity for our members to play bridge. We do not provide any
formal tuition but members at all levels are encouraged to attend and we
always have someone able to give advice and guidance. Currently we play Please come along, there is no limit on numbers and you will be very welcome.
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Meetings
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2nd Thursday |
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Venue
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Village Centre |
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Group Leader
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Stuart Baker & Betty Yendell |
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Computers
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Description
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Aims and Objectives:
To encourage members of the U3A to become computer literate, so that they can
communicate, especially with their grandchildren on equal terms, wherever
they may be! To share knowledge with fellow members and to encourage all
members to take an active part in the proceedings of the group. Subjects
covered include Word processing, Databases, Spreadsheets, Powerpoint, the
Internet, E-mail, Desktop publishing, Digital photography, Anti-virus and
Firewall protection. We are continually looking to detect trends and to
search out what is new. Equipment required: It
is helpful, but not essential, if members have a computer of their own or
have access to one. |
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Meetings
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1st Friday of the month (except August) |
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Venue
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Village Centre |
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Time
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Cost
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£1.20 per session. A supplementary
charge is levied for notes of the meeting if members require them. |
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Group Leaders
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Digital Photography
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Description
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Aims and Objectives:
To improve our photographic skills through shared learning and it is open to
all abilities. It is planned that the topics covered
will be as varied as possible from basic composition to specific subjects
utilising all types of digital cameras from the most basic up to SLR’s. Time
will also be given to hardware as well as software aspects of our hobby. |
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Meetings
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4th Tuesday of the month (Except August and December) |
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Venue
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Village Centre |
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Time
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2:00 pm till 4:00 pm |
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Cost
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We charge members £2 per session
payable six or twelve months in advance i.e. £10 will cover six months and £20
will cover the whole year. Anyone joining the group part way through a year
will pay pro rata. This charge is to cover the hire of the room,
administration and any materials etc. that we may use during the course of
our studies. |
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Group Leaders
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Ray Barnett & Richard Carver |
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French
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Description
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Aims and Objectives: Our
objective is to learn and encourage each other along the way, no matter what
individual achievements and experience we bring from our own backgrounds Our
aim is to read, comprehend and discuss topical issues from French magazines
and newspapers, to improve our pronunciation using CDs, to improve our
vocabulary and to enjoy a little French conversation, either generally or on
a chosen topic. Sometimes we study and enjoy the
beautiful words and imagery to which the French language lends itself so
well. Once a month the group circulates
a film in the French language (with English sub-titles) to be watched at home
by group members between meetings. We also enjoy a little “homework”
in the form of a challenging crossword or vocabulary puzzle (but this is not
compulsory!!). We welcome new members who wish
to share our interest and have fun learning at the same time, no matter
whether your knowledge is “A” level or beyond.
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Meetings
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4th Monday |
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Venue
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Members house |
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Time
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Group Leader
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Julia Elkins |
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Games
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Description
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Aims and Objectives:
We aim to play different games each time – old favourites as well as learning
some new ones - and have some relaxation and fun. We have played Whist, Scrabble, Draughts,
Triominoes, Trivial Pursuit, Tantrix, Catchphrase and many more. We also enjoy a quiz and/or mindbender
puzzles. We do hope new members will join
us. You don’t have to be an expert at
any particular game, just want to play to have fun and bring along some of
your favourites. The more the merrier!!
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Meetings
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4th Wednesday (No meetings in July or August) |
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Venue
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Group Leader’s House |
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Time
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2.30 pm till 4:30 pm |
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Cost
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Group Leader
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Julia Elkins |
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Gardening
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Description
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Aims and Objectives: To share gardening tips, swap plants, visit various private gardens by car sharing and occasional coach trip and enjoy social activities with members throughout the seasons.
Gardening is obviously a very
popular hobby amongst our U3A members and our Gardening Group continues to
grow in popularity. We started in 1999 with the idea of visiting a variety of
gardens, some small, some larger private gardens and also National Trust or
other famous estates. The visits are sometimes very local, occasionally
further afield. Talks with visiting speakers and sometimes one of our own
members are arranged in the winter months. By popular request, between the
months of March and October, outdoor garden visits are made on Wednesday
mornings normally meeting at our venue at In November through to February
we meet in Chinnor Scout Headquarters in Station Road and for these meetings
speakers are invited to talk on a variety of gardening subjects. This is normally on a Wednesday morning
10:30 – 12 noon. In the spring we hold a plant
sale in a member’s garden. This helps to fund some of our expenses. The costs to members are group
entrance fee to the garden, transport and refreshments.
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Meetings
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3rd Wednesday |
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Venue
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Various |
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Time
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Cost
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Group entrance fees to the gardens, transport and refreshments. |
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Group Leader
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Handicrafts
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Description
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Aims and Objectives: The
groups enjoy the challenge of trying out new projects and sharing ideas with
like-minded people. We have made
greetings cards, gift boxes, decorated Easter Eggs and Christmas decorations;
some of us have made sewn books and padded-front books as well as fabric
photo frames to name but a few. Whilst we have three groups
meeting once a month, we occasionally hold a joint group meeting at the
Village Centre with a lunch followed by a workshop. We have made a few visits to exhibitions
where we pick up ideas for new themes as well as replenishing stocks in the
pursuance of existing projects. |
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Meetings
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1st, 2nd and 3rd Wednesday |
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Venue
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Group leader's house |
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Time
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Cost
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£1 per session to cover the cost of materials, plus 20p for refreshments. |
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Group Leader
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Janet Roebuck |
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History/Archaeology
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Description
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Aims and Objectives:
The History Group started in September 1999 and its initial objective of
learning about British history with enjoyment by encouraging members to
select figures or events of their choice and to give presentations in turn to
the group has remained largely unchanged. However, over time we have
expanded this basic approach to include occasional talks by outside
lecturers, visits to local places of interest, U3A coach trips sponsored with
an historical theme in mind. In June 2004 the History and
Archaeology groups merged into a single group. The scope of our lectures has therefore
widened to include a much longer dateline and we have also included aspects
of American and European history. The History Group is a very
sociable and friendly Group and new members are made very welcome.
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Meetings
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3rd Friday |
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Venue
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Village Centre |
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Time
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Cost
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£7 per year, payable in two
instalments of £3.50 in September and March of each year. Outings are
charged independently. |
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Group Leaders
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George Hunter & Molly Milner |
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Music Appreciation
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Description
Group Leaders
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If you enjoy listening to music then join one of our six music appreciation Groups. Enhance your enjoyment by relaxing in a congenial atmosphere in a friend's home, (no Group has more than 10 members) while the host/hostess presents a two hour programme. Each Group plans its own programmes which may be themed or just favourite items, members taking turns to host and present.
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Venue
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Members houses |
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Cost
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No charge is made for the monthly
meetings but from time to time musical talks and outings to concerts are
organised. These outings are open to
all U3A members. |
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Group Leader
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Bill Parkinson – Group Co-ordinator |
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Music/Opera |
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Description |
This is a new group formed to
consolidate previous ad hoc outings to the opera. Sadly, opera is expensive and the
aim is to keep the cost to a minimum. Depending on what is on offer we hope
to make two trips to the New Theatre in Oxford. So far we have seen two
performances put on by Welsh National Opera. They are the company most likely
to offer world class productions. The New Theatre gives discount
for parties of ten or more and give ample time to confirm a provisional
booking. We use the (Chinnor) Village
Centre minibus because this is cheaper than commercial coach companies and at
the same time we are supporting a local charity much used by other U3A
Groups. The pickup points are Chinnor
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Venue
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New Theatre Oxford |
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Cost
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Various |
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Group Leader
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Brian Burrows |
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Poetry Reading
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Description
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Aims and Objectives: To share our love of familiar poetry with each other, and widen our knowledge and understanding of lesser known works.
Subjects are chosen by the group and are wither a particular poet or period, or a theme. Members bring two or three poems to introduce and read to the Group having often researched the life and background of the subject.
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Meetings
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2nd Monday |
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Venue
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Members houses |
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Time
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2:30 pm till 4: 30pm
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Cost
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None |
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Group Leader
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Mavis Rimmer |
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Reading/Literature
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Description
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Aims and Objectives: To read and discuss about seven books a year, which are chosen from proposals by members. A list of books is issued in November – these will be read during the following year. This gives everyone a chance to buy the books from a book shop, find them in a charity shop or to obtain them from the library. Twice or three time a year we have "Members Choice" meetings when members share any short readings or their own compositions. This adds variety to the programme and avoids pressure to read a set book every month.
The books that are chosen are very varied. We learn a lot together and have a laugh at the same time.
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Meetings
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4th Thursday |
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Venue
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Village Centre |
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Time
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11:00 am |
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Cost
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Group Leader
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Anne Goold |
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Singles
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Description
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The Singles Group, which has
recently formed, meet once a fortnight for lunch at a pub or restaurant. Sometimes
we meet at a member’s home where we all make a contribution to the
preparation of a meal. We choose the venue by
recommendation of members and we meet on different days of the week to suit
our diaries. Meeting venues are discussed a
month in advance. We always have plenty to talk about with good food and
excellent company. |
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Meetings
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Twice monthly. Members are notified of meetings one month in advance. |
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Venue
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Various |
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Time
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Various |
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Cost
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Group Leader
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Valerie Welford |
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Travel
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Description
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Aims and Objectives: To share members' experiences, and through individual presentation learn from the impressions of the traveller, and from the advice given.
Almost all of our presentations are made by the members of the group, usually supported by slides or by digital photography. The U3A equipment is available if necessary. On occasion, we also arrange for outside speakers to participate.
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Meetings
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1st Thursday of the month (except August) |
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Venue
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Reading Room |
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Time
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2:30 pm |
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Cost
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£10 per year |
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Group Leader
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Anne Gordon, Gladys Bilton and Jeff Platt |
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Walking – Long Walks
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Description
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Aims and Objectives:
To provide an opportunity for those who prefer slightly longer and more
demanding walks to explore and enjoy the countryside both in the immediate
area around Chinnor and further afield. Walks are generally between five and
seven miles or occasionally slightly longer, and will often involve some
hills.
Members are encouraged to lead
walks and both theoretical and practical help is provided for those who wish
to give it a try. An optional pub or tea shop lunch at then end of the walk
is often available. A programme of walks is issued every six months detailing
the location of walks and the walk leaders’ contact numbers. Members are advised to wear
suitable footwear, preferably walking boots, and they should be prepared for
rain. A trekking pole is useful as it takes the strain off the legs and helps
one to stay upright in wet and muddy conditions. It is advisable to bring
some light refreshment with you, especially water. Please try to car share
where possible. Walks are free for members of the
group but a contribution of £1 is required from time to time to cover the
organiser’s expenses. A record of all income and expenditure is kept by the
group leader. Whilst every care is taken to
avoid accidents, members join walks at their own risk and are responsible for
their own safety. Members of the Mixed Walks and
Short Walks Groups are always welcome to join us. Members are permitted to bring
their dogs on the walks at the discretion of the walk leader. Owners will be
fully responsible for the behaviour of their dogs at all times. Members may bring children on
walks WITH THE PRIOR AGREEMENT OF THE WALK LEADER provided that they are used
to coping with the distance and terrain and are well behaved. Please try to
car share where possible. |
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Meetings
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1st Tuesday |
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Venue
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Various |
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Time
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10:00 am till about 1:00 pm |
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Cost
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No regular charge but an occasional
charge of £1 for administration costs. New members are charged £1 when they
join and guests are charged 50p per walk. |
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Group Leader
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Tony Clark |
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Walking – Mixed Walks |
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Description
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Aims and Objectives: The aim of the group is to take exercise in the fresh air, with congenial company, in a variety of interesting and differing locations, sometimes near to Chinnor and sometimes further afield. Walks vary in length between two and six miles and may include hills, stiles and mud. Members are encouraged to share
cars when the starting point of the walk is not local. Sometimes we visit a
tea shop or pub at the conclusion of the walk. Programmes of walks are planned
for six months at a time. Members, who would like to, are encouraged to lead
a walk. Assistance is available to help members to use a map and to
plan a walk. Repeat walks in different seasons are welcome. Suitable footwear needs to be
worn, e.g. walking boots, and rainwear carried to allow for the possibility
of inclement weather. Bringing a drink is always a good idea and light
sustenance helps energy levels on longer walks. If you want more information
about a particular walk please contact the walk leader and do let them know
if you intend to join us so that we know\who to wait for. Members join walks
at their own risk and are responsible for their own safety. I always carry a
mobile phone, a basic first aid kit and a whistle in case they are needed. Every so often members will be
asked to contribute £1 towards the cost of copying programmes etc, and an
account record will be kept. Members of the Long Walks and
Short Walks Groups are always welcome to join us. Members are permitted to bring
their dogs on the walks at the discretion of the walk leader. Owners will be
fully responsible for the behaviour of their dogs at all times. Members may bring children on
walks WITH THE PRIOR AGREEMENT OF THE WALK LEADER provided that they are used
to coping with the distance and terrain and are well behaved. |
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Meetings
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3rd Tuesday |
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Venue
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Various |
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Time
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10:00 am. |
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Cost
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No regular charge but an occasional charge of £1 for administration costs |
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Group Leader
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Jill Ives |
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Walking – Short Walks
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Description
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Aims and Objectives: The aim of the group is to provide gentle
exercise in varying locations within a short drive from Chinnor. They are
about 3 miles and will not include steep hills. We try to include information
about the area we walk through to add to the visual enjoyment. All members are encouraged to
occasionally lead a walk. Assistance is available to help members to use a
map and to plan a walk. Members should wear suitable
footwear, walking boots are easier if mud is encountered. It is advisable to
be prepared for rain. Members are occasionally asked to
contribute £1 to cover photocopying etc (a record is maintained of income and
expenditure). A register of members attending walks is maintained. Those
intending to attend a walk are asked to contact the walk leader so the walk
does not commence until all expected attendees have arrived. Whilst every care is taken to
avoid accidents, members join walks at their own risk. Members of the Long Walks and Mixed Walks Groups are always welcome to join us. Members are permitted to bring
their dogs on the walks at the discretion of the walk leader. Owners will be
fully responsible for the behaviour of their dogs at all times. Members may bring children on
walks WITH THE PRIOR AGREEMENT OF THE WALK LEADER provided that they are used
to coping with the distance and terrain and are well behaved.
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Meetings
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2nd Wednesday (excluding December) |
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Venue
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Various |
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Time
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2:00 pm and 1:00 pm during November, January and February. |
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Cost
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No regular charge but an occasional charge of £1 for administration costs |
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Group Leader
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Brian Butler |
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