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Annual General Meeting 2023

Our AGMs tend not to be filled with drama, and this was no exception, however we appreciate the effort our members take to come in and attend on a miserable November evening.

After many years as chair, Helen stepped down, although she remains on the committee and will continue to be a great help. Her contributions over the years are very much appreciated.

Tom was elected as our new chair, leading us through the second half of the meeting.

The treasurers report noted that we have spent more this year – largely because we subsidise our Holiday to Avon Tyrrell and the South East Weekend to make them affordable to our members. Our fundraising income was lower this year too, but our reserves are sufficient for this not to be an urgent problem. The committee will discuss fundraising and ideas – especially if accompanied by a plan and action – from members are welcome.

We also filmed our Christmas song – this year it was Jingle Bells.

Avon Tyrrell research trip

Out next holiday at Avon Tyrrell is getting closer, and we wanted to have a look at the accommodation options. As Oxford Phab members have diverse needs it was important to see, in person, a chalet we were considering booking to assess its suitability. A couple of the committee went down to the New Forest on a reconnaissance visit

We not only were given a guided tour of the chalet, but were able to discuss our activity plans with one of the staff.

It was good to have a chance to explore the site at leisure.

There is a games court beside the main house, which we may use for tennis, badminton, basketball or similar.

  • Access is via a ramp beside the house

Everything is shaping up for a good long weekend break, from Friday May 25th to Sunday May 28th, so Oxford Phab members should make sure leave the time clear and book once the booking form is out.

Club night with Table Games

It was great to meet up at Wesley Memorial, and as have a chance to catch up with what some members have been doing over the past fortnight. Our online meetings allow some of our members, who are unable to join us in person, to still meet up, but others prefer to meet face to face.

As well as chatting we enlivened the evening with a variety of table top games, including ‘The Sock Game‘ – which is simple, but highly entertaining !

Programme 2021

These old programme entries are here so prospective new members can see the things we have done in the past, and to bring back memories for those who took part.

2021 was a very strange year for Oxford Phab as our activities were very disrupted by Covid. We did manage to continue with some activities.

phab_programme_June._July_2021Download
phab_programme_Oct_Nov_Dec_2021Download
phab_programme_Winter_Spring_2021-22_without_linkDownload

‘Study Higher’ Webinar on Accessibility in Higher Education

Disabled students often face extra barriers in access to Higher Education. ‘Study Higher’ are running a Webinar about this.

The webinar is run by Study Higher which aims to deliver impartial advice to young people in Oxfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Swindon about their future options in higher education. They also work with under-represented groups in higher education, such as disabled students.

The Study Higher webinar called Accessibility in Higher Education is aimed at students who would like to find out more about disability support at university or college. The webinar will take place on 8th July 5pm-6pm and students will be sent in the post an accompanying handout including an ‘applying to higher education as a disabled student’ checklist and a ‘questions to ask at open days’ checklist.

The session will cover:

  • Advice on where to go for disability support (from a Disability Support Officer at Oxford Brookes)
  • Advice on questions to ask when researching higher education
  • Advice on the Disabled Students Allowance (DSA)
  • Insight from a recent university graduate on accessing disability support
  • Hear from a disabled graduate about the transition from school to career

Find out more and register here

Note that you will need to register before the event, the link is to a registration site, not the the event.

Students will be sent in the post an accompanying handout including an ‘applying to higher education as a disabled student’ checklist and a ‘questions to ask at open days’ checklist.

For more information download their flyer.

Accessibility_in_Higher_Education_Flyer__2___4_Download

Putting the Fun into FUNdraising – an Electionathon !

It is always exciting when our members take the initiative to raise money for our club activities, especially since this is the first such event since our online Donations system moved from BT MyDonate to Virgin Money Giving. Please support his activity – where he will stay up all night to watch the election results, and remember to vote yourself. You may not be as interested in politics as Tom is, but we are fortunate to live in a country where we have the opportunity, and we should not waste it.

Tom’s Donations Electionathon page is at https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/TomBucknell/1 – please visit it and support him

Leslie and Caroline Wedding

Oxford Phab members were very happy for the opportunity to help Leslie and Caroline, two of our members, celebrate their wedding.

We gathered at Wesley Memorial Church to go down to the Registry Office for the ceremony.

Leslie and Caroline go by car, the rest of us make our own way.

The ceremony was lovely and the Registrar and staff very helpful, followed by the traditional photo opportunity on the steps.

Then it was back to Wesley Memorial for the reception, where Phab members and their families and friends had been involved with makings cakes and sandwiches, decorating the Hall, preparing music and tidying up afterwards.

Club Night with Tennis

We followed our previous Club Night with Indoor Tennis in January with another tennis session, giving members an opportunity to have a bit of exercise.


This session was more co-operative then competitive with a focus on trying to have longer rallies across the net. Impressively, given how high the ceiling is, the ball managed to be bounced off the sound deadening blocks a few times, which returned it in random directions. Luckily we play with a soft foam ball, which is safer for players, spectators and fitments.