The speaker will be Helen Plumb, talking about Glorious Coloured Gemstones  in the Faringdon Corn Exchange at 2.30pm on Thursday 14th July.  Helen will explain some of the key attributes of minerals which make desirable gemstones.  We shall all learn new intriguing and surprising facts about gems  - and become more knowledgeable than the average jeweller!  Helen will bring a selection of loose gemstones for members to handle and will encourage questions about all aspects of gemstones and gem set jewellery.  Members are welcome to bring in gems for identification.  After the talk refreshments will be available for everyone.  Visitors are also welcome but must pay a £1.50 entrance fee.

Please remember all those wishing to attend the meeting must be vaccinated to the recommended level and should be in good health.  This is to ensure that we protect all vulnerable members.  If in doubt please stay home!
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Faringdon Corn Exchange is delighted to host a talk by Richard Rickitt on Introducing the Amazing Honey Bee at 2.30pm.  The greatest contribution of bees and other pollinators is the pollination of nearly ¾ of the plants that produce 90% of the world’s food.  A third of the world’s food production depends on bees.  Richard Rickitt is the editor of Bee Craft and keeps his bees at Westonbirt Arboretum.  Passionate about this subject, his hobby grew into a job.  He will explain lots of intriguing facts about bees.

Refreshments are available after the talk.  All members are welcome but visitors are required to pay £1.50 for each visit.

It is expected that all attendees will be fully vaccinated  before coming to the talk and will be in good health.  For everyone’s safety please do not hesitate to stay at home if you are unwell.
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The speaker Chrissie Harper will talk about her work with tawny owls, barn owls, little owls and kestrels at Chrissie’s Owls at Stonesfield near Charlbury where she provides a rescue service for injured wild owls and captive bred owls that need caring for and rehoming.  This is a non-profit organisation.  Chrissie will bring several of her captive bred owls to help illustrate her talk.  The talk will start at 2.30pm and be followed by refreshments for everyone.  All members are welcome to attend but visitors are required to pay £1.50 each.

NB  We want everyone coming to U3A to feel safe and protected, so we ask that you only attend general meetings if you are feeling well and are not showing signs of Covid.  Please take a test if you are in any doubt, and in that way we can try to safeguard all members attending talks and events.  

AGM in the Faringdon Corn Exchange LIVE at 2.30pm

This will be followed by Gordon Rogers talking about Winston Churchill’s Toyshop. Gordon discovered that the premises near his home in Buckinghamshire were the United Kingdom’s premier weapons experimental station in World War 2. When Churchill became Prime Minister he was aware of the massive War Office red tape; to bypass this he appointed himself Minister of Defence and created just one department - MDI. This was located in Whitchurch near Aylesbury.

Gordon has carried out much research to ensure that he knows as much of the facts about this topic as possible. He has asked various TV channels to make a documentary, and so far the Discovery Channel has made a short TV programme. This is a fascinating talk from a very entertaining speaker. After the talk refreshments will follow with cakes – available to all members.  Non -members are also welcome but are required to pay a £1.50 entrance fee.

Our January Japes had to be cancelled due to government restrictions and our concern for the health of our members.  The overwhelming response to an e-mail requesting names of people wishing to attend the lunch told us how keen people were for life to return to normal.  We are therefore delighted to announce that we are holding the lunch as March Merriments on Thursday 10th March at 12 noon for 12.30pm.  People who have already booked will have been contacted and numbers have been made up to a safe figure.

The afternoon talk will proceed as usual with the talk taking place in the Corn Exchange at 2.30pm.  Members are welcome to come to listen to the talk if they have not been to the meal.  The speaker is Phil Holt, a retired air Traffic Controller;  his talk is entitled “Keep calm – I am an Air Traffic Controller”.  He covers the history and development then talks about present day flying.  This humorous, yet factual, presentation will fascinate everyone so, prepare for take-off!  Refreshments will follow as usual.

The talk will be held on Zoom and the link will be sent out to all members a few days before the talk.

Speaker: Mr Richard Ovenden OBE FSA FRSA,  chief librarian at the Bodley Library in Oxford. 

Richard will talk about his role and the work of libraries across the country.  He has held positions at the library of Durham University, the House of Lords Library, and the University of Edinburgh Library.  He also serves as the director of the Bodleian Library’s centre for the study of the book, and holds a professional fellowship at Balliol College.
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November’s speaker will be Polly Vacher MBE who will talk in the Corn Exchange at 2.30 pm but also by Zoom for those members who prefer to watch at home.  Her talk is about her latest adventure as she raises money for the MS Society Research programme.  In July she did a 200 mile trek with two donkeys from south Oxfordshire to North Wales – a Donkathon.  Polly enjoys adventures and at one time flew singlehanded twice round the world over the North Pole and over Antartica.  Her talk promises to be interesting.

Our U3A returned to the Corn Exchange with a fascinating talk by Alison Mees, “Living the African Dream”.  Her talk was presented in a hybrid form, to the audience in the Corn Exchange and to those members at home, via Zoom.  Those members in the Corn Exchange enjoyed watching her amazing photographs and listening to her tales of life in Zambia, Malawi, Kenya and Tanzania.  We had not met formally since March 2020, but today was a great afternoon and everyone commented that it was so nice to see friends face to face again. At the end of an excellent talk, we all enjoyed tea/coffee and superb cakes from Sadlers, which was an unexpected treat.

Hand sanitiser was available and everybody felt comfortable with the social distancing measures in place.

Next month will be organised in a similar style – come and see for yourself and catch up with friends, although we cannot guarantee cakes every time!  We are aware that not everyone feels comfortable or able to come out for such events, so, for those people, please continue to join in on Zoom from your own home.
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The speaker will be Alison Rees who has spent 16 years in Zambia “Living the African Dream”.  Alison has worked on reservations and has had the opportunity to follow her wildlife photographic interests and conservation passion.   She has been involved in the Serengeti Cheetah project, learning about individual cheetahs.  The talk will include many photos, especially of cheetahs but also information about Alison’s conservation and community work.