Henley & Goring
The H&G group covers the area of Henley and Goring in the Southern part of Oxfordshire bordering Berks and Bucks.
Henley and Goring is a friendly group with over 300 members. We are lucky to live in a beautiful part of the country with the Chilterns and the River Thames in our area. We attract and welcome walkers from all over Oxfordshire and further afield. With over 30 walk leaders we can deliver on our policy of providing walks to suit a wide range of tastes and abilities. We bring out a comprehensive walks programme four times a year which includes a wide range of local walks both long and short, long distance linear trails, weekends away and longer trips in UK and Europe. We produce our own lively newsletters, monthly in an e-mail version, so members can keep in touch with what we’ve been up to and what we are planning for the future. We have a lively social programme organised by our Events Team with events such as an annual BBQ, the Chantry House lecture and social evening and a Christmas dinner.
Henley and Goring Ramblers welcomes 400th member
Most of us already know that our group is thriving, and now we can say that our membership is growing too. Jane Statham became our 400th member in November and to mark this impressive milestone, H&G chairperson Alie Hagedoorn recently presented her with a Ramblers t-shirt. Jane, who joined with her husband Peter, is an experienced walker and has been running the Marlow U3A walking group for many years. She was encouraged to join H&G by two enthusiastic friends who were always talking about the walks. She likes the variety on offer but admits to preferring a good ten-mile hike. Jane has already been out with our group on a walk from Lane End and we hope she enjoys her future walks with us, perhaps wearing her new Ramblers t-shirt!
Henley & Goring AGM November 2023
It was full house again for our 2023 AGM and social evening with over 70 members gathering in the Christ Church Centre in Henley. The evening is a great opportunity to hear about what we have done and what we plan for the coming year but also to meet friends old and new and to enjoy a first class home-made supper organised by our Events Team with contributions from many members.
The Chairman’s report had been distributed prior to the meeting so Alie just picked out some highlights and thanked all who had contributed to the success of the Group’s programme this year. Presenting the Treasurer’s report, also sent out prior to the meeting, Peter explained some of the numbers more fully. The group is in a healthy financial position and it was agreed to use some of our surplus funds to make a contribution towards another gate to replace a stile. Ray Maguire has agreed to continue to act as our independent examiner. Both reports were accepted unanimously
The 2022/23 committee had all agreed to continue, though Peter Stone (Treasurer) and John Case (Footpaths Officer) are looking for people to work with them in the coming year with a view to taking over the posts. The committee are very happy to have two new people offering to join them: Jill Cole as a member and Catherine Ewart as Publicity Officer, a post we have been trying to fill for several years. Welcome Jill and Catherine! Another unanimous vote confirmed the expanded 2023/24 committee membership and that concluded the official part of the AGM.
Next, Wim presented a statistical report on our walks programme with comparisons from previous years. We have increased the number of our walk leaders and have a very good spread of walks in terms of distance and more walks each month than in other years. Joan provided a photo presentation of what we had done in 2022/23 and a brief look ahead at trips planned for 2024.
Then came supper! We moved to the large hall where tables were set out for a two course supper followed by coffee or tea. Sandra Evans had made delightful floral table decorations cleverly personalised for our group! As in previous years the quality and variety of the food was magnificent and the overall organisation of the supper was superb. Thanks to June and the Events team and to all members who contributed interesting salads and wonderful desserts!