Welcome!
Welcome to OVRA’s brand new website which we hope will be a fabulous resource for Onslow Village. Take some time to explore the site and discover all the incredible activities, initiatives and businesses that are going on in or very close to the village.
Our aim is to whet your appetite then to signpost you to more information. Almost everything listed is within easy walking distance. The website has something for everyone. Whether you’re new to Onslow or you’ve lived here all your life we guarantee you’ll discover something you didn’t know!
If you run an activity, an initiative or a business which is closely allied with the village and you would like it to be included on the website simply email info@ovra.org.uk. Similarly, if you are running an event which you would like included on the calendar email us the details with a website link if you have one. Things that appear on the calendar will automatically be featured in the What’s on in Onslow monthly emails to members.
Introducing OVRA
Onslow Village Residents Association (OVRA) was founded in 1957 to
Safeguard the amenities of Onslow Village and to promote the welfare, interests and well-being of the residents
This is still our mission. But to give a simpler message we have added the strapline:
Strengthening Community in Onslow Village
What does OVRA do?
1. We let people know what’s going on and how they can get involved
2. We organise events
3. We monitor, report, and occasionally campaign on proposed changes in the area
4. We work to improve our local environment
We let people know what’s going on
We believe that communication is an important part of strengthening community. In addition to creating this website, OVRA also produces several other regular mailings:
The Village Voice
This is a very short termly newsletter that celebrates our vibrant community. It advertises upcoming OVRA events, reports on things that have happened, introduces members of the community and shares details of local initiatives so that people can get involved. It is usually delivered to members via email (although a hard copy can be provided on request), and at least once a year it is delivered to every home in the village.
Click here to see the current edition of the Village Voice
Click here to go to the Village Voice archive
What’s on in Onslow
This is a new monthly mailing linked to the website calendar. It is a diary of events happening in or near the village during a particular month. It includes the titles of talks being held by the many special interest groups that meet in the village, details of concerts, exhibitions, plays, sales, school fetes etc. It is emailed to members and is available on the website.
Click here to see the current edition of ‘What’s on in Onslow’
Local Focus Updates
These are sent out once every 2 months. They are compiled by our Local Focus Team and include information and signposting regarding planned changes in the local area such as alterations to parking arrangements, upcoming road works, possible restructuring of our health providers etc.
The current copy of the Local Focus Update will be available here shortly.
In addition we send out occasional emails to members to alert them to particular issues or remind them of specific events.
In order to reach beyond our membership we also have a Facebook Page and Instagram account. Very occasionally we may use the street WhatsApp groups to get a message out to as many residents as possible, as fast as possible.
We organise events
Another important way of strengthening community is giving people the opportunity to meet each other. To this end, in a typical year we aim to organise several talks, one or two ticketed social events, 2 or 3 children’s trails and big community gatherings and street parties when appropriate.
Talks are usually held in the Village Hall, but occasionally they may be held at a specific venue such as the Arboretum. We often make use of experts from the University, or people in the village, or other interesting speakers we seek out. Talks are open to anyone, usually no booking is required, and entry is by donation.
Social Events tend to be ticketed. They include things such as Jazz Nights, Quiz Nights, Gin Tasting, Bingo, and anything else you want to suggest! Tickets can be bought on the website using the ‘Events’ button at the bottom of the Homepage or by clicking ‘Events’ on the OVRA drop-down menu.
Children’s and Family Trails are usually organised for the school holidays. In recent years the ‘Advent Window Trail’ has become a real favourite with residents of all ages. We also try to organise some sort of Easter Egg Trail which may be a specific event, or it may be set up around the village and families can do it in their own time. Other trails are sometimes provided during the summer holidays to keep children entertained and help them explore the village.
Community Gatherings in recent years have included 2 very successful Village Street Parties to celebrate the Queen’s Jubilee and the King’s Coronation. We have also organised Picnics on the Rec in the summer and hope to introduce some Community Carol Singing at Christmas.
Click here to see the Events we currently have planned
We monitor and report on proposed changes in the area
This is the role of our Local Focus Team. Members of the team attend meetings of the Guildford Residents Association, consult local councillors, and generally keep their ear to the ground to hear what’s in the pipeline for the local area. They report things which may be of interest to residents via the regular Local Focus Updates. These updates are intended to inform and signpost. On the whole they do not express opinions since we know that what may seem bad news to one will be good news to another.
Sometimes the team will organise public meetings with representatives who can give residents more information and answer their questions on a particular issue.
Occasionally we may survey our members on a specific topic so that we can give feedback to a body on the views of the village residents.
In some instances, when a village amenity is under threat and the village is united, we will express a clear opinion. At such times we will make use of our strong communication network to inform and mobilize the residents and will be involved in campaigning as necessary.
We work to improve our environment
We do this mainly through promoting the local initiatives that are already in place. These include litter picking, conservation work, recycling projects, community gardening etc. We introduce them under the Local Initiatives Tab on the main menu with links to their websites so you can find out more. We feature them in the Village Voice and we advertise their events in What’s on in Onslow. We are extremely grateful for all the amazing people who are volunteering their time to improve our village environment and we would urge everyone to explore how they can get involved.
However, we also do a few things ourselves!
The Centennial Garden is the area around the benches on Wilderness Road close to the parade of shops. It was originally landscaped to celebrate the Queen’s Silver Jubilee in 1977 and was maintained by Onslow Village Ltd. Over the years since the dissolution of the company in the 1980s, the garden had been neglected and by 2020, it was in a sorry state; however, when OVRA’s plans to celebrate the Village’s 100th birthday in 2020 had to be abandoned due to Covid, overhauling the Jubilee Garden and transforming it into the Centennial Garden seemed a fitting way to mark the occasion. After much work by volunteers and generous donations by local businesses the project was completed. Members of the OVRA team now oversee its maintenance so that it can be enjoyed by all.
OVRA’s Christmas Lights around the Village Hall are a relatively new addition to the village but add a welcome touch of yuletide sparkle to The Square.
Other things we’ve done include bulb planting and providing notice boards for the village and several joint projects with the Village Hall committee such as saving the phone box and a new village sign.
Join OVRA
We would love every household in the village to be part of OVRA. Whilst historically Onslow Village has very distinct boundaries (see the Onlsow Village tab for more on the history of the village) we are happy to accept members from anywhere in the local area. We want everyone to know what’s going on in their locality, to get involved and to feel connected. To this end we are trialling free membership, which we hope will become a permanent change and will remove any barriers to joining. All we need is your name, address and email address.
As long as membership is free you remain a member until you move out of the area or you request to be removed from the membership list.
Members automatically receive the regular OVRA mailings but you can opt out of receiving them at any time.
Click here to join
Volunteer with OVRA
There are loads of ways to get involved with OVRA, from being an office holder on the committee to delivering a few flyers every now and again. We value whatever time you can give us!
Within OVRA we have 4 teams: Events Team, Local Focus Team, Village Voice Team and Website Team. These teams are headed up by committee members but include general members who would like to get involved without the commitment of being on the committee.
Join the Events Team if you enjoy coming up with new ideas, planning events, and producing publicity
Join the Local Focus Team if you’re interested in staying abreast of local developments and changes in the area and helping to produce the regular news updates for members
Join the Village Voice Team if you enjoy: coming up with ideas, interviewing village residents, writing articles, graphic design and production
Join the Website Team if you’re happy to come up with new ideas, keep information up to date, help to produce the What’s on in Onslow monthly diaries
If you want a more ad hoc involvement we’re always keen to hear from people who can deliver newsletters and flyers, take on general admin tasks, take photos which can be used in the Village Voice or on the website, help on the day at an event, decorate a window for our Advent Window Trail, or help maintain the Centennial Garden
Click here to volunteer
Donate to OVRA
Whilst OVRA is run by volunteers and we endeavour to be as economical as possible, there are still costs involved in running events, supporting the website, printing flyers etc. Our income comes from donations, sponsorship, ticket sales and fundraising.
We would be incredibly grateful if you could make a donation to support us in our work.
Thank you!
OVRA Rules