We will be celebrating 40 years of an Arts Society in Goring on Wednesday 15th July from 3pm to 5.30pm at Goring Village Hall.

There will be champagne and canapes frm 3pm to 3.45pm, followed by tea and cake.

All members will have recived an invite and and are asked to RSVP by 27th May. If members would like to attend can you please pay £10 via onlne banking or pay at the lecture on 27th May.

The New Year lunch will be held at Goring and Streatley Golf Club on Wednesday 21st January 2026.  A welcome glass of prosecco or soft drink will be served on arrival at 12.30pm, ready to sit down to enjoy our lunch at 1pm. Wine and other drinks will be available to purchase from the bar. 

Booking and menu choices will be available at the November lecuture, with booking by 27th November at the latest, there are currently spaces available.

If you need any further information please contact Sally Wicks. Payment of £34 can be made by bank trasferre (please rember to add NYL in the reference box).

There will be no refunds if cancellation is after January 6th 2026. 

Dear Members

I hope you will agree that 2025 has been a very successful year for the Arts Society Goring with a really interesting programme.

 Marilyn, our Programme Secretary, continues to surprise us with varied and interesting lectures such as Double Portraiture, Architecture and the Mayan Civilisation.  I remained a bit confused as to how The Hanseatic League worked, and were we convinced that the Queen of Sheba actually existed?  We all seemed to enjoy John Piper and hearing about The David Parr House, which most of us now want to visit.  The final lecture on the Paintings and Wit of Noel Coward and Winston Churchill was enlightening, as I had not realised that Noel Coward was such an artist but they both had wit!

 The 2026 programme will include Diamonds, Mughal India, See Naples and Die and All the Lonely People.  Sounds fascinating!

Our two Special Interest Days (SIDs) – on Turner and the Rivalry between Leonardo da Vinci & Michaelangelo – were exceptional and oversubscribed.  Next year we have Monet (his anniversary) in April and I am planning Caravaggio in the autumn.

Despite the rain, our tour to the gardens and castles in North Wales in April was a great success; especially for me as I love castles.  The Loire tour in October started with Monet’s garden at Giverny, a nice prequel to our next SID.  We saw about eight chateaux, only two of which were furnished.  Diane de Poitier lived in those, so I learnt that my name probably came from France.  Beautiful buildings and lots of history.

 Next year the tours will be to Liverpool and the cities of Castille.

Visits were limited as John Raisin had to resign for personal reasons, but he did organise a successful visit to Petworth House before he stopped.  Sally very kindly stepped into the ‘Visits’ breach and took us for an enjoyable day to Compton Verney in November.  Sally is, however, our Arts Volunteering Secretary and is very busy with that.  You may have seen the beautiful cascade of knitted or crochet poppies for Remembrance which Sally helped organise.  You may have also seen in the Goring Gap News the other Arts Volunteering projects we do, such as:

1.       Film animation workshops for young people at Goring Gap Festival

2.       Withymead Nature Reserve art workshop by children’s author Emma Shoard

3.       Wallingford School dance workshop for GCSE pupils

4.       Friends of Goring Library.

Sally also organises the New Year lunch, which is very popular and a good social event.

 Talking of social events, we have a 40th Anniversary Champagne Tea Party planned for 15th July next year (3pm to 5.30pm) with background music and food.  Invitations, for a nominal fee, will be sent out in the spring.  Please save the date.  If anyone has any interesting anecdotes or photos of events which have happened in the last 40 years, please let me know.

 Please contact me if you would be willing to help arrange visits as we need someone to take on this role; possible a couple to share the task.  People do enjoy our trips out for a day and we can offer help and advice, but we are already short of members on the committee so need help.

 Rob keeps our finances in order and has solved the problems with the card machine.  We have had a few issues with sound and the projector, but these have since been addressed, so we hope you will be able to see and hear better next year.

 It only remains for me to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and best wishes for a Healthy and Happy 2026, which I hope will include seeing you at TASG activities.

 Diane Varian

Chair, The Arts Society, Goring

The New Year lunch will be held at Goring and Streatley Golf Club on Wednesday 15 January 2025.  A welcome glass of prosecco or soft drink will be served on arrival at 12.30pm, ready to sit down to enjoy our lunch at 1pm. Wine and other drinks will be available to purchase from the bar and, if you are a member of the club, your normal discount will apply.  

If you need any further information please contact Sally Wicks. Payment is required on booking.

Please note this event is now fully booked.

Dear Arts Society Members

2024 has been a difficult year for The Arts Society but we have also had some good times.

As many of you already know, the Board of Trustees, unknown to us, had requested a review of Governance in 2023 and set up another branch (called StudioArt) to encourage younger people, with a staff of 4/5 using money from The Arts Society of which the members pay 66%. 

• In January 2024 they put forward a Special Resolution to adopt new Articles of Association which caused a lot of upset and discussion among voting members. 
• Emails were exchanged and meetings were held between many Chairs of different local societies who could not see the necessity for this and many were against the proposal.
• On 3rd June a vote was held to adopt the new Resolution but it was defeated as 70% of voting members voted against it. 
• On 8th June the Chairman of Arts Society Helmsley, supported by many other societies who had opposed the motion, asked the Trustees to consider their position and suggested a possible proposal to remove the Chair of Trustees and the Hon. Treasurer at the AGM in August. 
• On 19th June it was announced that, apart from one Trustee, all the others would resign or not stand for re-election at the AGM.  The CEO and COO also resigned.  Originally it had been proposed that we could only vote for four Trustees out of a board of 12 so we would never have any real influence even though the members pay to belong.  As only one Trustee remained and six were needed for a quorum, we were allowed to vote for five Trustees out of the nine members who applied. 
• After the AGM, the new Trustees co-opted three more Trustees so we now have a new Board of Trustees and they have assured us that they will “move forward, work hard, communicate well and engage local societies in key decisions.”

_______________________________________________________________

 TOURS

In Derbyshire we learnt history, saw art and stately homes (even where Mr Darcy came out of the lake) and ate Bakewell Tarts.  Romania was I think enjoyed by everyone seeing lots of beautiful scenery, churches and saints and Dracula’s castle.

VISITS

A religious year visiting The Hindu Temple, Salisbury Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.  Each visit was special in its own way.  I personally thought the Abbey with a choir singing to us and being alone in the Abbey was exceptional.

 SPECIAL INTEREST DAYS (SIDs)

Manet, Master of the Modern Idiom by Hilary Guise.  This day gave us a great insight into his life and art.

Sunshine, Sunflowers and Gardens: Earth to Heaven through Pigments and Plants by Twigs Way.  Another day which most people found incredibly interesting and thought-provoking.

LECTURES

As usual Marilyn had booked a great range of different speakers and topics ranging from Chinese Wallpapers to Scottish Colourists and Sir Christopher Wren.  We also had Grace Darling showing us The Fine Art of Saving Lives at Sea.  This showed us what it was like trying to save people when ships floundered, and the art associated with this. Also, how it brought about the RNLI.  The Nation’s Mantelpiece told us about 10 paintings in the National Gallery to celebrate its 200-year centenary.  The Grayson Perry lecture was amusing and informative.  Cities of Castille: Hidden Treasures, by Gail Turner, had us all wanting to go there (possibly a destination for a tour in 2026?).  Camels in Art, Literature and Culture was a fascinating global account, and I did not realise how much of the world they inhabit and the journeys they make (not just the Silk Road).

Another great year is lined up for 2025, including lectures on Double Portraiture, Architecture, Mayan Civilisation and The Queen of Sheba; a SID on 12th March celebrating the 250-year anniversary for JMW Turner; and tours to Welsh Art, Castles and Gardens in April, and The Loire Chateaux and Monet’s Garden in October.

Sadly, there are no visits as we still urgently need people to join our team to help organise them. 

Happy Christmas to you all and I look forward to sharing with you good times in 2025.

Diane Varian

Chair, The Arts Society, Goring

Dear Members

 I hope you all had a good Christmas and have a Happy New Year.

 We have had a good season with very interesting and differing lectures arranged by Marilyn Fyne.  The 25 October lecture, Palmyra, Bride of the Desert was my particular favourite as I went there before it was destroyed by ISIS.  I was dressed up as Queen Zenobia and had to ride around on a camel.  Quite an experience!

 2024 lectures

We start our regular fourth-Wednesday lectures (11am or 2.30pm) on 24 January, when the subject will be Chinese Wallpapers.  Future lectures will be as follows:

·       28 February – The Scottish Colourists

·       27 March – Fiction, Fallacy and Fake News

·       24 April – Sir Christopher Wren and the Baroque in England

·       22 May – Grace Darling, the Fine Art of Saving Lives at Sea

·       26 June – The Nation’s Mantelpiece: A History of the National Gallery in 10 paintings (2024 being the 200-year celebration of the National Gallery)

 I think you will agree, another varied and interesting selection of topics.

We are considering changing the time of the afternoon lecture to start at 2pm from next September, which will help some people who collect children.  There will be further discussion on this at the AGM in June but, in the meantime, please consider this idea and let me know if you have any strong feelings about it.

 Special Interest Days (SIDs) in 2024

·       The postponed SID on Manet, Master of the Modern Idiom will now be on Tuesday 20 February.  Doors will open at 11am, for a prompt start at 11.15am.  This is now fully booked.

·       There will be a SID on Tuesday 19 March which offers an interesting and different day, on the topic of Sunshine, Sunflowers and Gardens: Earth to Heaven through pigments and plants by the aptly named Twigs Way.  We will be taking bookings at the January and February lectures.

We are looking for someone to help with the SID bookings and someone to organise events so please contact me if you feel you could help.

 Tours/Visits/Events

·       Last October’s tour, to see the Highlights of East Anglia including Norwich Castle, Sutton Hoo and Audley End House, was a great success.

·       The next tour will be in May, to Derbyshire, and we will be booking at the January and February lectures.

·       The New Year lunch at Goring and Streatley Golf Club on 18 January 2024 has been well-subscribed with over 80 people coming.  This will be at 12.30pm for welcome drinks and sit down at 1pm. 

·       The visit to Westminster Abbey next September should be a great experience.  It is fully booked with a short waiting list.

·       Our AGM will be on 19 June 2024

We hope to have other visits and another tour next year; details will be announced when known.

 I hope you will be able to come and enjoy these interesting and exciting events and look forward to meeting you.

 Best wishes for 2024,

Diane

Diane Varian, Chairperson, TASG

Dear Members

I hope you have enjoyed our late summer.  Now that Autumn is here you can look forward to coming to the Arts Society programme of lectures, starting Wednesday 27 Sept with “Canaletto in England”.

 Over the last couple of years we have had some Zoom lectures and visits which I hope you enjoyed but I am delighted to let you know that, following the members vote at the recent AGM, we are now fully returning to face-to-face lectures and visits.

 I would like to welcome all our new members and hope you will come to the New Members’ Welcome Reception (with drinks and canapés) between the morning and afternoon lectures in September, to meet the Committee and other new members.

 Our Programme Secretary Marilyn Fyne manages to find an incredible variety of interesting speakers which you will see on your membership card, including:

• 25 October lecture, “Palmyra, Bride of the Desert”, which is of particular interest to me as I visited there before ISIS destroyed it.
• 22 November lecture, “The Art of Captain Cook’s Voyages”, which should give us a different perspective on his adventures.
• There will also be a Special Interest Day (SID) on 14 November, when the topic will be “Manet, Master of the Modern Idiom”, following the usual format: from 10.30am to 3.30pm, consisting of three lectures, including lunch with wine or soft drink.  Cost £45.

 We would like to welcome our new Visits Secretary Team, Flavia Leslie and John Wells.  They have planned a visit on Tuesday 7 November to RAF Hendon Museum and the “To the Stars: Illuminating the Art Collection in 50 Works” exhibition, including watercolours of Paul Nash, John Armstrong, Eric Ravilious and John Minton.  Cost £29.  Booking at September and October lectures.

 Rosie Mortimer has arranged a tour on 16-20 October to see the “Highlights of East Anglia” including Norwich Castle, Sutton Hoo and Audley End House.  Rosie is also looking into a European tour in 2024.

 We do not have a lecture in December as everyone is busy with Christmas but we are planning a New Year lunch on 18 January 2024 which was a popular idea on our members’ survey. This will be at Goring & Streatley Golf Club.  Cost £31 for:

Welcome drink

Starter

Main course

Tea/coffee and chocolates

Booking details, choices and payment at the September and October lectures, latest by 30 October.

 We then continue with monthly (fourth Wednesday) lectures from January to June 2024.

There will be a SID on 19 March 2024 which should be an interesting and different day, topic “Sunshine, Sunflowers and Gardens: Earth to Heaven through pigments and plants” by the aptly named Twigs Way.  We hope to have other visits and another tour next year (TBC) and our AGM on 19 June 2024.

I hope you will be able to come and enjoy these interesting and exciting events and look forward to meeting you.  We are looking for someone to help organise events, so please contact me if you feel you could help.

 Best wishes,

Diane Varian, Chairperson, TASG

Dear Members

In both of my Christmas newsletters 2020 and 2021 I opened up with “What a strange year this has been……”  I can now report in 2022 that we are nearly on track to being back to pre-Covid times.  It is with great relief and satisfaction that we have survived all the turbulence of COVID, now you need only to check your Membership Card to see what the next Lecture, Visit and Tour will be.

Again, we have had excellent lectures: in September we opened up our lecture season with Pierrot Heroes given by Tony Lidington. In October we had Julian Halsby talking to us about Walter Sickert & The Camden Town Group 1905-1918 and on the 23 November Paul Atterbury (a well-known face from the Antiques Road Show) came to give us a lecture on Designing Women, an excellent insight as to how women shaped Britain’s Ceramic Industry (this lecture was assessed as Outstanding by many of you).

Please note that both our January and February lectures will be via Zoom.  I'm sure some of you will feel this is a retrograde step and others will be delighted to see this lecture from home and enjoy the slides close up on their laptops/TVs.  We decided to have the two winter lectures via Zoom so that the technical team remain up to scratch with the Zoom technology should we need to use it in the future and also because January and February are usually very cold months with ‘flu and colds abounding.  We will be back in Goring Village Hall for the March lecture!

The last Special Interest Day was on the 8 November when we had a day of three lectures on The Power and Glory of our Country Houses led by Anthony Russell.  Anthony was an excellent lecturer who paced the day very well and it was enjoyed by all attendees.  The lunch break was also welcome when we had a hot meal and wine and could catch up with friends and other ASG members.

The 17 November might have seemed a bit early to celebrate Christmas but any disquiet soon evaporated because Waddesdon never fails to please.  Elspeth Lockwood took us on a Visit to Waddesdon which included a festive lunch.  Waddesdon decorations are always magical and tasteful and we returned home with a perfect festive spirit ready to organise our own Christmas.

We also have a Visit to look forward to.  Elspeth Lockwood will be taking us for a tour of the Royal Opera House & Freemasons’ Hall sometime in March.  She will be advertising this at both lectures via Zoom. 

Rosie Mortimer, our Tours committee member, took a party to Oberammergau on the 7 September – this trip was postponed from the previous year.  Everyone who went on this very special trip had nothing but praise for the Passion Play production – it was certainly worth the wait.  There is a write-up on our ASG website, so please read it to get a flavour of the trip.

Rosie is currently organising a trip to Vienna on 23-29 April 2023.  The itinerary looks very interesting and Nirvana Romell is once again leading this trip.  Contact Rosie after Christmas for further information and a booking form.  To note: there are only 5 places left.

As you can see from this newsletter, The Arts Society, Goring is back on track.  Your committee members are once again organising events, tours and visits for you to enjoy so please support your society.  I would like to thank them all, on your behalf, for their continued hard work and commitment.

On an admin note, Diane Varian and I will be swapping roles in January, ie Diane will take over as chairman and I will become the vice-chair.  It is my intention to find another vice-chairman before our AGM in June so that we can be assured of continuity but also someone who will introduce new energy and ideas.

It only leaves me to wish you all a very Happy Christmas and a healthy 2023!!

Cornelia Hayes

Chairman

Dear Member

Welcome to our new season of lectures, SIDs, Visits and Tours.

We start this coming week on Wednesday 28 September with a lecture on 'Pierrot Heroes - Evolution of British Seaside Entertainment' with Tony Lidington.  The morning lecture starts at 11am and the afternoon one at 2.30pm.  Please remember to sign in at the back of Goring Village Hall in the Garden Room.  We have decided that this is a much safer and easier way for everyone to come in and then move to the Bellême Room for coffee/tea and a chat with other friends/members and an opportunity to see what SIDs, Visits and Tours there are on offer.

Please also note that we are inviting all our members to bring along a friend to three lectures for free, ie no donation required.  We are offering this for September, October and November.  A good opportunity for non-members to see what we have to offer!

There will be a Special Interest Day on the 8 November on the subject of 'The Power and Glory of our Country Houses' with Anthony Russell.  Diane Varian will have a desk in the Garden Room to take your names if you would like to attend.

After the extremely successful tour to Oberammergau recently, there will be a tour led by Nirvana Romell to Vienna on 2-9 May 2023 and this may be of interest to you as well, so do add your name to the list.

There is a lot of information on our website giving updates so worth a look to see what is going on in your society. 

We all look forward to seeing you again this Wednesday.

Best wishes,

Cornelia Hayes

Chairman

Dear Members

I am delighted to be able to send out this Update Bulletin with all the latest information on how, what and when we will be implementing our exciting programme of events for you to enjoy after a very difficult period for us all. Thank you for your patience and resilience – we can now look forward to more normal times!

Please read all the information below and we very much look forward to meeting up again in Goring Village Hall in April.

•  23 MARCH: LAST ZOOM LECTURE

An Irrational and Exotick Entertainment: The History of Opera in England with Roger Askew

•   5 APRIL: ‘LIVE’ SPECIAL INTEREST DAY IN GORING VILLAGE HALL

Joaquin Sorolla: Spain’s Master of Light with Anne Anderson

Please see separate booking information

•  27 APRIL: ‘LIVE’ LECTURE BACK IN GORING VILLAGE HALL – (Safety details to follow in March)

Mad Men and The Artists: How the Advertising Industry Exploited Fine Art with Tony Rawlins

•   25 MAY: ‘LIVE’ LECTURE IN GORING VILLAGE HALL

Palmyra: Bride of the Desert with Dr Paul Roberts

•   15 JUNE: The Arts Society, Goring AGM

Make a note in your diary. There will also be a presentation given by students from Bishopsland Education Trust which provides a postgraduate level training programme for silversmiths and jewellers. TASG has in the past and is currently assisting them with financial aid.

•  22 JUNE: ‘LIVE’ LECTURE IN GORING VILLAGE HALL

Dazzling Dufy with Mary Alexander

**URGENTLY NEEDED**

More afternoon volunteers to organise tea/coffee for pre-lecture refreshments.

 We also need stewards – 3 stewards at the morning lecture and 3 stewards in the afternoon; to assist in setting up the hall ready for the lecture.

Please contact me if you are willing to volunteer to help with either refreshments or as a steward.

With many thanks and all good wishes.  See you all in April!

Cornelia

Chairman, The Arts Society, Goring

Dear Members

 Last year I started the ASG Christmas newsletter with the words “What a strange year this has been……” and sadly this year 2021 has been exactly the same.

We have continued with our excellent Zoom lectures, virtual visits, Special Interest Day, AGM and a wonderful live trip to Scotland in October – what a treat that was!  For an account of our Edinburgh and Glasgow trip please go on to our website to read about it. 

In spite of all the necessary limitations, we have had excellent lectures on Edward Seago, May Morris and recently ‘Art Inspired by Wine’ with a wonderful speaker, John Ericson.  Who knew information about corkscrews could be so fascinating and so elegantly delivered!

Our first lecture in 2022 will be on 26 January when the subject will be Artemisia Gentileschi, a lecture on Tulipomania in February and many other subjects for the rest of the year.  All these lectures will again provide us with entertainment and knowledge on a diverse range of subjects.

 I am also aware that we still have seventeen members who have been unable to join in with any of the above computer offerings but let’s hope that by March 2022 we will all be together again in Goring Village Hall.  Your committee is certainly working towards that goal.

 On behalf of you all, I would like to thank everyone involved in running The Arts Society, Goring, for their unswerving commitment, hard work and consistent good humour.  Without these volunteers there would be no Arts Society, Goring!

 Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas.

Cornelia Hayes

Chairman

What’s new?

•   As you can see, our Arts Society, Goring website looks different.  Our website sub-committee has revamped it to get everything up to date and will continue to do so as we start our season in September.  This means that you can always go in to check the information you are looking for.  Do let us know what you think and let us have any suggestions to further enhance our Arts Society, Goring website..

•   We are gearing up for our first lecture on the 23 September via Zoom/You Tube.  In place is a small technical sub-committee who, over the summer, has been learning how to provide us with our forthcoming autumn lectures. You will be sent all the necessary instructions in plenty of time. Very exciting but nerve-wracking! 

•   Our forthcoming online lecture programme shows that we will cover a range of diverse subjects from ‘Photography as Art’ and ‘Beethoven at 250 years’ and then to end the year with ‘Eastern Carpets in Western Paintings’. 

•   We are delighted that so many of you have renewed your membership and are willing to embrace this new way of accessing arts’ experiences.  I am aware that the social aspect is obviously missing in that we can’t meet our friends for tea/coffee beforehand to catch up but we will return to the Goring Village Hall at some stage and then carry on.

Please stay safe and well.

All good wishes,

Cornelia

Click here to download our 2020 Newsletter and Report

Click here to view the report

Our Annual General Meeting will be held on Wednesday 19 June at 11 pm.  We very much hope you will be able to attend.  There will be a report from the Chairman and Treasurer, elections to the committee, and after the business has taken place, there will be a short talk from Stephen Harrison who is Head of Music at Langtree School, Woodcote.  Through our Young Arts programme we gave the music department a donation of £600 and Stephen will tell us about the project we funded and the impact it has had on the School’s music department.  Everyone is then invited to drinks and canapes in the Garden Room – always a convivial occasion – and the eats are delicious!

The AGM Agenda, Minutes of the last AGM, together with the Financial Accounts and Report are to be found on the documents page of the website.  Also the 2018-2019 Newsletter and Reports from the Secretaries, which gives a synopsis of the past year and plans for the year ahead.

Our last lecture of this year is on Wednesday 26th June entitled

“FIELD OF CLOTH OF GOLD—6,000 ENGLISHMEN IN FRANCE FOR 18 DAYS—HOW DID THEY DO IT?” with speaker Jo Mabbutt.

“In June 1520 Henry VIII and Francis I met to ratify an Anglo-French alliance and celebrate the
betrothal of Henry’s daughter Mary to the Dauphin. Each brings an entourage of 6,000 to a field
south of Calais.  The logistics of transporting, accommodating, ordering, feeding and watering, protecting and entertaining The English Contingent for this spectacular event is staggering. The supply chain, often through the City of London Guilds is equally fascinating.”

The new programme starts on Wednesday, 25th September with Tim Redmond’s lecture entitled “A Tour of Big Ben”.  A virtual tour of the iconic gothic building known throughout the year.

Elspeth Lockwood is busy planning the visits for next year.  She will be taking bookings at the June lecture for a visit to Chartwell on Wednesday 16 October.  In December we are off to Waddesdon to see the house in all its glory at Christmas.

Rosy Mortimer has planned an interesting and varied tour to Manchester on 8-12 October 2019 accompanied by Nirvana Rommell entitled – “Manchester – Art and Industry”.  We will be visiting Tatton Park, a walk round the heart of Manchester including Manchester Art Gallery, Saltaire (near Bradford, Yorkshire), Quarry Bank Mill in Styal, Whitworth Art Gallery and Salford Quays.  There are still places available, so please see Rosy at the forthcoming lectures to book.

The first special interest day will take place on Friday 8 November 2019.  “Everything Stops for Tea – A Social History of Tea Drinking” with Anne Anderson.  Jenny Boler will take bookings at the September lecture.