Lincoln College, Oxford.
Newsletter of AOUG in the South (02)
Welcome | Newsletter | Diary Dates | Memory Lane
This is the third newsletter covering past, present and future events in the South. Firstly I’d like to welcome new members and those who have moved into the Region – please let me know if there are any particular activities in which you would like to participate in your area, and I will do all I can to contact other members, and perhaps we may be able to get discounted entry to events.
With a region such as ours, there are many one-off happenings, especially this year; again, if there is something for which you have a particular interest and may wish to have company, please let me know and I will circulate as appropriate. If agreeable, I will also let the readership know if you are to be involved, say, as an Olympic Ambassador, or in any of the celebrations connected with the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. Jill Hellawell will be an Olympic Ambassador at Gatwick. Helen Clarke also has a claim to fame – one of the choir in BBC’s Songs of Praise from Portsmouth on Easter Sunday.
On 12 February a large party of us walked through the woods at Warnford (near Fareham) to admire the snowdrops in their millions. This is part of the Warnford church and estate; the whole Meon Valley was the last part of England to convert to Christianity in the 7th Century, and all of the churches have displays of some of the 60 or so varieties of snowdrops in their grounds. Much of the estate (including the lake) was frozen, but refreshments afterwards were not!
Our meetings for coffee in Portsmouth and Oxford will continue right through until the end of the year – see the diary dates in OMEGA or the website for details. More immediately, on 19 April, (1100) a visit has been organised to the Bodleian Library Exhibition in Oxford; there are still a few places left for the visit to the Royal National Lifeboat Institute College at Poole on Saturday 28 April – meet at Poole station at 1040 (trains arriving from both directions) and walk to the College (5 minutes) or meet there by 1055 (limited car parking available). I’ll be carrying a copy of OMEGA. On Thursday 14 June, we’ll be visiting the Weald and Downland Open Air Museum near Chichester, to explore six centuries of life around the South Downs; on 16 June we’ll be visiting the alternative choice for country activity, the Vale and Downland Museum in Wantage (about 8 miles from Didcot).
Two members of AOUG will be attending each of the OU degree ceremonies in the Region as part of the procession - at Milton Keynes on 8 June at 1100, and at Portsmouth on 27 October at 1430.
Executive Representative – Mike Bechley: m.bechley@ntlworld.com