The inevitable but sad decision was taken at the AGM on 17 March to close the Oxford Centre of the National Trust at the end of April 2026 as there were insufficient volunteers coming forward to take on active roles within the Committee – most crucially the post of Treasurer.
We were fortunate that Dr Nick Brown, OCNT President, was able to attend and chair the AGM and he observed that, though this was a sad and poignant occasion, there was still much to cherish and celebrate over the 57 years of the existence of the Centre and a summary of his words, as well as the other business of the meeting, can be found in the AGM minutes attached to our final newsletter (pp. 3–4). It was particularly encouraging to hear that over the years the Oxford Centre, through its various activities, had been able to contribute more than £312,000 to the work of local National Trust properties.
At the AGM Felicity, our Treasurer, presented the accounts for 2025. She has now had the opportunity to finalise the accounts from January to the end of April 2026 and to close the bank account. Our Constitution states that ‘Any assets remaining after the payment of any proper debts and liabilities shall promptly be given to the National Trust’ and we can now confirm a sum of £7,853.92 has been handed over to the Trust with the wish that it be used to fund various projects at local Trust properties. A copy of the final accounts can be found on p. 5 of the newsletter and the wish list for the division of funds on p. 6.#
As the bank account no longer exists, may we remind those members who have been paying their OCNT subscription by standing order to cancel the standing order to stop any future attempts by your bank to make a payment into the OCNT. Please note that we cannot cancel your standing order for you. You will need to do this yourself by contacting your bank, or, if you have online banking, you should be able to do this yourself online.
Please be assured that all electronic membership records held by the Committee will be deleted and any paper records will be destroyed so none of your personal details will be retained or passed on to others.
We are aware that the closure of the Centre is a disappointment to many of our members who have enjoyed the talks, visits and holidays arranged over the years – and this was demonstrated by the popularity of our final well-attended visit to Salisbury on 14 April. For those of you who would like to continue enjoying talks and visits, while at the same time supporting the National Trust, on p. 2 of the newsletter you will find details of alternative local supporter groups who arrange such activities. One or two of us have already joined the Abingdon group so you will also see some familiar faces if you decide to do the same.
May we take this opportunity to thank you for your support for the Oxford Centre over the years and to wish you all well for the future.
From the Committee
