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OXFORD Beginners’ Sunday (6 pm) McInness Room, Warneford Hospital, Headington, Oxford. Formed January 30, 2000 The Secretary at the first meeting was Simon P. and, after the Preamble, he asked for the first paragraph of Chapter 3 of the Big Book to be read out. Everyone was then asked to introduce themselves and say how long they had been sober; if it was more than a year they were asked to say ‘sober more than one year’, regardless of how many. Simon then introduced Bill from Buckingham to share. It was recommended to listen to the similarities not the differences. Afterwards Simon shared briefly then called out names for people to share. The first and last speakers were over one year and everyone between had under a year’s sobriety. The meeting was attended by 21 people and closed at 7 pm with the Serenity Prayer. The inspiration for this meeting came in part from a tape by Frank Milos of Evergreen Park, Illinois, given to Peter K. and Robert S. by their sponsor. The theme for Frank’s talk was Spirituality Through the Steps. The vivid description he gives of how it is (and was) for many of us planted the seed for this meeting. He tells of how they started a beginners’ meeting before the main one of his home group. He starts his talks by telling newcomers that most of them won’t make it, and most of them get mad at this. They don’t do anything different from any other meeting but use the truth, the Big Book and enthusiasm. Peter K. (March 2000) From all accounts this is a meeting where most newcomers find it especially easy to share. OXFORD Sunday (7.30 pm) McInness Room, Warneford Hospital, Headington, Oxford. Formed August 1975 (Holyrood) The meeting originated at Holyrood House, South Leigh, near Witney, in August 1975. This was a Psychiatric Hospital dealing with alcohol. In 1977, when the hospital closed, the meeting moved to Littlemore Hospital which housed the Alcohol Unit run by the local Council. Due to reorganisation the unit was relocated to the Chilton Clinic at the Warneford Hospital, Headington, in 1985. The venue was a spacious room on the ground floor (the Detox patients’ common room actually). One member had been a patient in the unit in 1958 and then it had been his bedroom! Members of the Fellowship were invited to show the AA video and give a talk to patients as part of a three-week course. In 1993, again due to reorganisation, the meeting moved to its present venue, the McInness Room on the first floor of the Warneford’s main hospital building. David P. and Kevin B. (June 1999) In December 2002, it became a Big Book study group OXFORD Monday (7.30 pm) Wesley Memorial Church, New Inn Hall Street, Oxford Formed in the mid-1960s. ‘Oxford Monday’ was the very first group in Oxford, started in the mid-sixties by Bill of Bampton, Irish Paddy, Ben, among others. The meeting was held at the Methodist Centre in New Inn Hall Street. In the early seventies, the Group moved to the Cherwell Centre, Norham Gardens, North Oxford. This was an extremely comfortable venue run by Nuns, who in the earlier years always prepared the tea and coffee for the Group! It flourished and stayed at Norham Gardens until the end of 1996 when the Nuns required the room for other purposes. During much of this period the meeting room also provided the venue for SMIG’s quarterly meetings. In addition, every summer the gardens of the Cherwell Centre became the lively scene for SMIG’s annual Mini-Convention, a large marquee occupying part of the gardens. The setting and refreshments - and no doubt the speakers! - drew a good attendance from far and wide. From the Cherwell Centre the Group moved to the Quakers’ Meeting House in St Giles, where it stayed for only one year. This was not very suitable for many reasons, so early in 1998 the poor Group moved yet again: this time to be comfortably re-settled in the Methodist Centre where it began over thirty years earlier! Ann W. (March 1999) Since the Wesley Memorial Hall is closed on Bank Holidays, we have on these days met in the elegant surroundings of Ma Belle restaurant at the invitation of one of our group members. David C (May 2001) OXFORD Tuesday lunch (12.30 pm) St Giles Church Parish Rooms, 10 Woodstock Road, Oxford. Formed September 17, 1985 The group was started by Pete (the Guitar) and Big Mike F. (deceased), without reference to Intergroup, as it was felt there was a need for more lunchtime meetings. It was originally a Slogans meeting, based on an idea by Father Leonard (USA). The Group copy of the Big Book was subscribed to by the founder members and is inscribed thus: “Donated by the members for the members” It was signed by all who were present at the inaugural meeting: Michael F, Pete H, Andy S, John A, Celia C, Maureen G, Andy P, Julia G, Kevin B, Mary, Audrey, John A. Today it is a straight ‘Share’ meeting, all of which are Open. Sheila B. (January 1998); Peter H OXFORD BLACKBIRD LEYS Tuesday (8 pm) Dovecote Community Centre, Dunnock Way, Blackbird Leys, Oxford. Formed January 27 1998 For the first two and a half years the meeting struggled to maintain a regular attendance ; although there was a core membership of about five, numbers fluctuated between 5 and 10 . Many people only attended for a few weeks at a time. During this period the meeting was only just self supporting. Secretaries in this period included Andy, Dougal, Roy, Simon and Big John. Sadly in 1999 Dougal, one of the co founders of the group lost his battle for life after a short illness. He is missed especially for all the effort he put into starting the meeting and keeping it going in the early days. In March 2001 the group moved to a new location within the same building complex called the Clockhouse. The room was far more comfortable and had a more relaxing atmosphere. The building had better facilities but the major improvement was that the parking area was more secure as it had good lighting and security cameras ! From 2001 to 2003, attendance remained constant at about fifteen, while Big John, Simon and Andy took the role as Secretary. From 2003 attendance grew steadily to about twenty five and in the second half of 2004 the group moved to a bigger room in the Clockhouse to accommodate what had become a lively meeting. Secretaries in 2003 were John S and Grange. Since the end of 2004, on the first Tuesday of every month, the meeting has begun with a reading of a pre war version of the preamble and of the original manuscript version of How it Works ; and every week, attendees are invited to join in at the end of the reading of The Promises, from "We think not". Secretaries in 2004 and 2005 were Graham, James, Dick, Ian and Neil. James J (December 2005 ) OXFORD Wednesday lunchtime (12.30 pm) University Catholic Chaplaincy, Newman Rooms, Rose Place (opposite Meadow Gates), St Aldates, Oxford Formed Spring 1983 at Blackfriars One day in 1982 I met an “oldtimer” in St Giles, Oxford, mentioned how good it would be to have a lunch time meeting and thought perhaps I could start one. It was suggested I should “get a bit more sobriety ... and we’ll see what can be done”! Later, around April 1983 the Blackfriars Wednesday Lunchtime Meeting was opened with myself as Secretary and Pam as Treasurer and Literature Secretary. The meeting took off as we thought it might, as there seemed to be a particular need for such a meeting. It was well supported by old members and also a transient membership from the New Theatre and The Playhouse nearby. We were joined by stagehands and electricians and the occasional actor, as well as others who found it hard to get to an evening meeting. It was also popular for people working for the University because of its central position. After my twelve months as secretary, I handed over to Tim who later passed on the secretaryship to Pam. As we know there are now other lunchtime meetings in the area which are, I am sure, a haven of encouragement to many. For me it was certainly a mid-week refuge in early sobriety and it was one of the meetings that helped me to grow within the Fellowship. The Brothers at Blackfriars were always helpful. I particularly remember Brother Kevin who has since died. The meetings began at 12.30pm and I remember that at 1 pm the Brothers were summoned to lunch by the prolonged ringing of a handbell. Tom B. (May 1999) Since then the meeting has moved to its present venue and inevitably the theatrical element has diminished. OXFORD Wednesday (7.30 pm) New Road Baptist Church (next to Bonn Sq.), Westgate Formed early summer 1984.   Intergroup supported the group for three months or so, and it took about five years for it to settle (eventually 8-9 steady members, including resident Eddie). The first Secretary was Mike C, followed by Philip S. Then Andy S/Alex did it for two years in three-month stints. The group has always been Open and Smoking; the format is an ordinary ‘share’ and the group is known for a certain type of deep sharing. As told by Andy S to Mike M. (May 1999) In September 2000 the group moved to its present location. The main reason for the move was Simon House’s policy to refuse entry to any person who had been drinking. As this is not part of how an AA group should be run we decided-quite reluctantly-to change venues. Many of the people who come to this group are in their early days of recovery and to turn them away was just not appropriate to our philosophy. We departed on good terms with the management and staff of Simon House. The new venue has brought some minor changes: it is now a non-smoking meeting, and it also much more “female friendly”! - i.e. the decor is more becoming and this seems to have attracted more female members. Tea and coffee are now served from china mugs/cups as opposed to disposable beakers. It is altogether a cleaner and more refreshing atmosphere. But the main ambience of the group remains the same: we are still known for our “deep sharing” (without being conceited) and there is sometimes a good deal of emotional input-plenty of tears and laughter. We also get regular attendance from people who are members of other rehabilitation programmes; their presence is very welcome and they contribute greatly. We are self supporting, with regular contributions to SMIG. The group secretary, Jason, has been in this position since the group moved. Kevin W. (June 2001) OXFORD Thursday (7.30 pm) McInness Room, Warneford Hospital, Headington Formed 1964-65 The group was started at the request of Dr Tony Williams. I believe the late Cyril (Wantage) and Voddy R. were instrumental in starting it at the Ashurst Clinic. In 1970-71 when the new Ley Clinic opened, the meeting moved there. I remember that in 1969 the Secretary was a man from Dublin called George, who each Thursday gave a chair on what the chair had meant to say - which was longer than the chair itself! In 1969-70 there used to be a group of anti-AAs who sat in the foyer of the Ashurst and ‘slagged’ people going to the AA meeting, calling them chickens, brainwashers, etc. I think their main complaint was that they had been banned from attending as day patients at the clinic because of their drinking. Ken H. was Secretary of the group for many years when it moved to the Ley Clinic. In the early days patients often came straight to the clinic from Oxford Prison as well as from the Simon Hostel and Littlemore Hospital, especially from the old and first drying out unit known as B8 in Littlemore. There was never a dull moment at the meetings as you invariably had practising alcoholics attending. I remember the late and loveable Frankie S being bribed to leave the meeting as he insisted on playing his mouth organ. In 1985 the alcoholic unit moved to the Warneford where the meetings were held in a room which was my old ward - happy and unhappy memories. In recent years the meeting moved upstairs to (alas) a non-smoking venue. Barry W. (November 1999) This is no longer a purely alcohol unit but deals with addiction generally with the inevitable result that fewer patients come directly to meetings. However contact is maintained between the group and the hospital. All meetings are open as has always been the tradition of this group. OXFORD Thursday Women’s Group (7.30pm) St Mary’s Convent, St Mary’s Road, Oxford Formed October 2000 : Closed August 2004 Gabrielle and Dilys had mulled over the idea of starting a women’s group in Oxford for about a year, but different things cropped up and nothing was done about it. The first meeting was held at St Mary’s Convent on October 4, 2000; it had an attendance of four members and ideas were broached as to the format the meeting should take. It was finally decided to have a discussion group with the chair choosing their own topic and then the meeting is thrown open. We started off in a small room in the convent but as the meeting grew, we have moved into the refectory to accommodate our growing numbers. The nuns have been extremely supportive, with the meeting being asked to be ‘opened’ so one or two could attend. They have been impressed by the spirituality of the 12-Step programme. Our first secretary was Ann W, with Dilys following in her footsteps. The attendance has grown tremendously over the past months as word of the meeting spread. Dilys ( Summer 2001) By mid 2004 falling numbers had lead us to accept that it was no use struggling on as we were and we took the decision to close the meeting. After discussing this with Brian L, Chairman of Intergroup, we decided to donate all our surplus literature and books to the Prison service and our set of scrolls went to the Abingdon Group as their set was in a bad state of repair. The meeting is sorely missed. Dilys ( Spring 2006 ) OXFORD Friday Breakfast (7.30 am) St Giles’ Church Parish Rooms, 10 Woodstock Road, Oxford Formed October 1991  Marion B. became the first secretary with Nigel P. its initial GSR. From the start fresh percolated coffee and hot croissants have been served at all meetings; in earlier years a full cooked breakfast was available at the meeting nearest Christmas. From 5 or 6 members, numbers grew to 10-12 and then on. By 1995 figures had reached 20+. Nigel P. (1995) And in Spring 2003, the Group is still thriving! OXFORD Friday ‘Step’ (7.45 pm) West Oxford Community Centre, Botley Road, Oxford Formed March 2, 1979  
Jo the Priest was the first Secretary; Don and Deirdre were stalwarts of those early meetings, as was Prof. John. For the first months the meeting place was the back hall of St. Fridewide Church, Botley Road, though there were always terrible problems over the key which had to be collected each time. One meeting in the church itself is remembered for its freezing temperatures; another was in the sportshall opposite, and one Christmas Eve it was held in Andrew’s house. Andrew via Mike the Book (Autumn 1998) This is a postscript to the above, which I thought I’d leave intact because it brings us up to a few months ago, before the group moved to its new and present location and because it was written by Mike the Book, who was a long time member of the group and who sadly died recently. After nearly twenty-one years at Binsey Lane, the group moved to a brand new West Oxford Community Centre, directly opposite its birthplace, St. Fridewide’s Church. The change was a welcome one as the old place had got rather run down. Our first meeting at the ‘new’ West Oxford Community Centre was on October 13, 2000. Our format is similar to that of the early days, although we now read from the Twelve by Twelve and the speaker does not start with ‘The moment I stopped drinking.’ We still have the circle of chairs without a table and emphasis does stay mainly on recovery. Polly M. (2001) OXFORD Friday Late Night (9.45-11 pm) St Margaret’s Institute, Polstead Road, Oxford Formed May 29, 1998   The meeting was the original idea of Reuben S of Faringdon. It was planned and set up by Reuben and Alida of Oxford. The thinking behind it was to give wider options of timing - there were already one early and two lunchtime meetings in Oxford and the surrounding area, in addition to the regular evening ones, but no late meeting within reasonable travelling distance. It was thought that having a late night meeting would serve several purposes: it allowed for people with children to see them after work etc. before coming out; it allowed for those working away from town in the week to get back and still make a meeting; it was recognised as a particularly difficult time in the week (especially for newcomers), that was not yet covered by a meeting; it was hoped that by leading up to midnight it would help people into the weekend with a good start. The timing was set late enough to allow those wishing to go to the Friday Step Meeting to make it to both meetings. There was a general wish to pick up on a perceived need for something less ‘traditional’ and formal, and to make room for people who in more established settings felt constrained in talking about emotions and ‘how it is today’. The first meeting was held on Friday May 29, 1998. Those present signed a Big Book: Reuben S, Dilys, Suzy T, Alida, Chris K, Audrey,Big John, Alan M, Peter Q, Lorelie Ann, Nigel H, Polly M, Dave L, Nina P, Robert, Dugal, Christian O, Sam S, Chris, Angela B and Paul. Dilys did the first Chair. The meeting started with a Group Conscience which established an interim format. This was confirmed subsequently as the general format for meetings to come. The main features were that it be: Closed, focused on living in recovery,‘Bare Bones’ - very simple format, just reading the preamble then into main chair to allow maximum sharing from the floor, open sharing from the floor - many meetings in Oxford go round the room - this was a move to balance that with an alternative. Non-smoking, but with a request for those needing to smoke to try to refrain from disrupting the meeting by going in and out candle-lit to reflect the sense of spirituality gained by the late-night mood. We closed the meeting by holding hands for the Serenity Prayer. Officers elected for the first year were: Peter Q - GSR, Nigel H - literature secretary, Big John -Treasurer, Alida - group secretary. Nearly a year later the group has been going strongly, with a consistent attendance of between 15 and 25 people. There are regular visitors from Cheltenham and Warwickshire, and a steady trickle of students from the USA who have come to the meeting regularly during their period in Oxford. The mood is warm and welcoming, and people appreciate the gentleness of the candlelight. Quite a number of people attend after a regular Friday evening meeting elsewhere. A record book has been kept of all Group Conscience meetings. (February 1999) OXFORD Saturday (8 pm) St Margaret’s Institute, Polstead Road , Oxford Formed September 1989 Simon writes.... When I first came to AA I was a young 20-year-old, having found the Fellowship in an Alcoholic Unit. By this time I had lost a girl friend whom I loved so much, then a job which I had had for three years. So, when I came to AA, though I found the members so kind and caring, and though I did identify with some of them, always at the back of my mind was the thought that "it was all right for them lot", who were so much older than me, and had had years of good drinking. The only person near my age was Annette, who was thirty years old, and she was very glad to welcome me as a younger member. We got on very well. I found it hard, though, to identify with married couples’ sobriety, as I really thought at the time: how do you meet a girl without a drink? how do you chat one up? what do I do at the weekends? how do I have sex without a drink? where do I meet a girl if it’s not in a nightclub or pub? when do you go out with your mates and converse with them without a drink? These were major worries for me, and, not to justify my drinking again (which I know was because I hadn’t accepted 100% I was an alcoholic) they didn’t help my sobriety. Hence another trip to the Alcoholic Unit, worse than ever. I eventually got sober on 14 March 1988, at the age of 25, which at that time in AA seemed very young. I had got back with a girl friend who I first met in 1984, and she was pregnant. By this time Annette was a good couple of years sober. Then Jeremy came in, and he was young. Talking to Jeremy and Andy S (both Tuesday Lunch), I realised that they were discussing how AA could attract more younger people, as we knew by then that there were a lot of younger people in trouble with alcohol. By this time we were also getting quite a few young people visiting from the USA in the summer when they were on vacation, and I think they found it strange that there were so few young people around. So Andy and Jeremy got in touch with St Margaret’s Institute and along with myself started a ‘Young AA’ Meeting in September 1989. The idea was to try to attract young people to share about their particular worries as young alcoholics, to talk about how we dealt with chatting up a girl/boy, having sex, going to parties, Christmas, etc. The meeting started at 8 pm, was a Smoking Meeting, and had a chair who selected a passage from the Big Book on which to base a discussion. All Meetings were Closed (to give the new young members a feeling of protection). I was the first Secretary. The Meeting took a while to attract young people, but as word got around, we found a few started to come. We often went out for a cup of tea after the Meeting, which I felt was a help to me, and hopefully to them. Not just young people, but older and wiser members attended, who gave us young’uns a lot of support. I am not, of course, saying that every young member stayed sober, but the great thing was that the seed was sown, and the presence of a young meeting was established; and, as Secretary, the sight of a young member coming in and following the Programme was very beneficial. Unfortunately I had to start to work on a Saturday night and attended it less. But after five years, in 1994, we had a party to celebrate, and I had the privilege to be there with Jeremy and Andy, all of us still sober. After about seven years the Group Conscience decided to delete the word ‘Young’ from the Meeting. By this time there were far more younger people coming in (at 33, I felt old!) and it was felt they could fit in to all Meetings more easily. However, the Meeting to this day still has a good Young attendance, where members can share the problems of being young in Sobriety. To end with: I started writing this by saying how resentful I was about being so comparatively young when I came into AA. But today I can honestly say I am so grateful I found AA and got sober at the age of 25, as it has saved my life, and given me more than I could dream of, especially seeing my daughter Samantha grow up without seeing me drunk. So I urge any member, especially at a young age, to come along and enjoy the great benefits of being sober. Simon (February 1999) |
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