West Oxford U3A Events

West Oxford U3A Talk 14 October 2019  

Nigel Fisher, Conservator, Wytham Woods
Wytham Woods are known to most residents of Cumnor Parish as the attractive wooded hilltop spanning the northern horizon and as a venue for pleasant walks for the more energetic. But its range of habitats - ancient woods dating back to the last Ice Age, modern plantations, limestone grassland, ponds - make it exceptionally rich in flora and fauna, and one of the most researched areas of woodland in the world. Its bird data spanning over 60 years has more recently been importantly linked into the study of climate change. On the margins of research its many badger families are big favourites with local children – and the not-so-young. Nigel Fisher, Conservator of Wytham Woods for Oxford University, will talk on ‘The Laboratory with Leaves’ covering the history, ecology and research of Wytham Woods.
 

West Oxford U3A Talk 28 October 2019  
Fred Ireland, Behind Bars: Thirty Years as a Prison Chaplain
The inside of a prison is not a familiar hang-out for most of us - perhaps not even when it has become the Malmaison Hotel. Fred Ireland is a Methodist minister who currently has pastoral care of several churches near Oxford. Alongside this he has for thirty years served as a prison chaplain. In this talk he will share some of his experiences in this challenging and, as he finds it, rewarding work. 
 

West Oxford U3A meetings are held at Dean Court Community Centre, Pinnocks Way, Botley OX2 9BD on the second and fourth Monday of each month at 2.30pm.