Most months we invite a guest speaker to give us a talk; there's been a huge range in the past, and Gill, or Speaker's Secretary, is careful to find interesting people with intersting topics or stories to tell.
They are always at St Hugh's at 2.15pm for 2.30pm on the first Thursday of each month; below you can see the programme to the end of 2025.
Forthcoming events
4th June 2026
2:15 pm
Meeting
John Wilford talks about his 30 years as a sound engineer and tour manager, working with well-known artistes and musicians
Cost: £3 for visitors (refunded if you join the u3a), Free for members
2nd July 2026
2:15 pm
Meeting
Carol Shearman will tell us about Assistance Dogs - she works for the Charity "Dogs for Good" based in Banbury. Dogs for Good is a UK-based charity training dogs to […]
6th August 2026
2:15 pm
Meeting
Plans are not certain yet, but August is the month when we dont have a speaker meeting, but our groups get exhibitions together to show what they have been up […]
3rd September 2026
2:15 pm
Meeting
Nicole Perry-Bradford from the Oxfordshire Museum in Woodstock will be talking about the Museum and how it curates its Social History collections; the speaker was recommended by one our members, […]
1st October 2026
2:15 pm
Meeting
The vastness of space: starting with a model of the Solar System based on the Earth as a peppercorn we’ll voyage to the distant Universe using the speed of light […]
Cost: £3 for non members, refunded if you join the u3a; free for Members
5th November 2026
2:15 pm
Meeting
The Golden Age of Posters in Britain Poster art in Britain during the 1920s and 1930s was a thriving industry enabled by enlightened clients such as Shell-Mex, the London Underground, […]
Cost: £3 for non-members, refunded if you join the u3a at the event. Free for members
3rd December 2026
2:15 pm - 4:00 pm
Meeting
Ever wondered what sparks artistic genius, or how understanding your own brain could boost your creativity? Mike Sheehan has spent his life exploring these fascinating questions from two unique perspectives. […]
Cost: Free for members; non members, £3, refunded if you chose to join the u3a afterwards
7th January 2027
2:15 pm
Meeting
A presentation that explains the work we do at Swan Support, and I will also talk about the work we do with Royal Swan Upping and Henley Royal Regatta.
Cost: Free for members, visitors £3
Blogs about our previous Speaker Meetings
- 21st Century Gardening - Speaker MeetingTim Walker is a most distinguished, and entertaining speaker - his CV included running the Oxfordshire Botannical Garden for 27 years, and he now lectures at Sommerville College. Tim spoke of the changes that had happened in gardening and how we need to continue to evolve to meet the challenges of climate change - a… Read more: 21st Century Gardening - Speaker Meeting
- Speaker Meeting - Wills and Powers of AttorneyOur speaker was Anna Boucher, Senior associate from the Burnside Partnership who are based at Combe Mill - Anna had been headhunted by our Chair, Sue, who had asked if she'd do a talk for us. Anna chose to use our microphone "Rock Star" style (hand held) and she certainly proved to be a star,… Read more: Speaker Meeting - Wills and Powers of Attorney
- Bess - the Wife of Sir Walter RaleighOur speakers meeting on the 4th December was Anna Beer, who's passion is about Bess, the Wife of the famous Sir Walter Raleigh. Who, I hear you say, and why .... but Anna had become enthusted during her research into the period and shared her enthusiasm with us in a most engaging talk, that took… Read more: Bess - the Wife of Sir Walter Raleigh
- Speakers Meeting, HEDGEROWS!The room was full for Jessica's talk - Jessica is from the charity "Wild Oxfordshire" and she knows her stuff about hedges .... mainly the ones that we see on the sides of the road and forming field bounaries, but which we may well take for granted as just "parts of the landscape". But they… Read more: Speakers Meeting, HEDGEROWS!
- It's a wrapOur speaker in March was Robert Brewer, who spoke about his experiences as a "Supporting Artist" (SA) in the Film and TV world - "Extras" to you and me. Robert told us a bit about his previous life, then how he chanced upon an Ad. at his Local Library; invited to a photoshoot, and after… Read more: It's a wrap