A festive day in Oxford
Our journey was wet and prolonged by traffic but even storm Bert could not dampen our enthusiasm for a day in the city of dreaming spires.
Our hosts for the day were New College who could not have been more welcoming and accommodating to the 97 people who travelled on the day. They laid on drinks and biscuits and served them in the warmth of the college common room.
The College is a founding member of the university, the oldest in the western world. It has of course a wonderful legacy in its buildings and gardens, as well as more recently being the site of filming for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. There was a chance to visit all parts of the College and to marvel at the wonders of the chapel, the arched stone galleries and quadrangles.
The visit therefore inspired the young and brought the possibility of Oxford into their realm of knowledge.
The city too was glorious with the majestic university buildings and the ancient colleges not quite outdone by the shopping and markets.
Almost too soon we had to make our return journey, but not before the free raffle took place with lovely early Xmas raffle prizes donated by our friends.
Some of the 30, generously donated, raffle prizes.
We have had amazing feedback from those who could make the trip. We have received numerous messages and e mails and the following is just an indication of what the visit to New College and Oxford meant to them.
Thank you so much, Shaftesbury Refugee Group for organizing such a wonderful trip to Oxford! It was an amazing experience, and visiting the college where Harry Potter was filmed was truly magical. The beauty of Oxford and the chance to step inside such an iconic place left us in awe. You made the day unforgettable, and I’m so grateful for all the effort you put into it.
Good afternoon! Thank you for giving a wonderful opportunity to visit Oxford for those who live in Blandford. This is our first trip with you. And I am very grateful to you and your team that my daughter and I spent this weekend in such a beautiful place. It is difficult to get there without a car. This was my dream and you made it come true. Thank you for your work. Have a nice evening!
Many thanks for organizing a wonderful excursion to Oxford University. Despite the weather it was very interesting and informative. The first time I received detailed information about the university was from the magazine “Anglia”. My family had a subscription to this magazine in Ukraine, which was very difficult to do. At that time, it was impossible even to dream of studying at Oxford University, let alone even seeing it. Thanks to your support, we visited the university with our youngest granddaughter. We all really liked it and we dream of our grandchildren going to Oxford. Thank you very much
I want to thank you for the trip to Oxford. It was incredible, sincerely grateful. This trip also symbolically sang with the Day of Remembrance of the Holodomor in Ukraine. THANK YOU. The children were especially happy. The younger children were happy because they followed the paths of Harry Potter, and the older children were able to see a reference point to which they should strive in their studies.
Our thanks go to Gez Wells, Paula Hart and the team at New College for their kindness and support.
Our thanks also go to Jamie Randall of Randall Photos for the stunning images.
