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In a Nutshell
What Is Thames Valley IVC
- A friendly multi-activity club that organises a range of social, cultural, leisure, and sporting activities.
- Aimed at professionals, graduates and like minded people living in the
Thames Valley area.
- Run by its members for its members, who are encouraged to take part organising events.
- Non-profit making with few overheads ensures it is less expensive than commercial clubs.
- Part of the AIVC, a nation-wide association of nearly 50 similar clubs with over 5000 members.
The sections below describe the club in more detail and try to answer any questions you might have about it and how you could enjoy it as a member.
Multi Activity Club
We have a wide choice of activities, put on by our club or other IVCs. Some that have appeared in our bulletin in the last year include:
- Eating out, Pub Evenings, Parties, BBQs, River Cruises, Discos, Ten-Pin-Bowling, Skittles, Murder Mystery.
- Cinema, Theatre, Opera, Concerts, Recorded Music Group, Folk Festival, Dancing (Samba, Tango).
- Walks, Weekends way, National Trust visits, Balloon Festival, Archaeological excavation, Archery.
- Swimming, Surfing, Canoeing/Kayaking, Skiing, Crag Climbing, Abseiling, Horseriding, Mountain Biking, Go-karting, Quadbiking, Off-road Activity Day, Microlighting, Gliding.
Our Membership
- Our members are professionals, graduates or like minded people who enjoy a similar range of activities.
- Most of our members are in their 30s to 50s.
- The ratio of men/women is almost exactly 50/50, though this can vary from year to year.
- Both singles and couples are welcome to join the club.
Thames Valley Area
- Most members are in Berkshire, but we have some in South Oxfordshire and South Buckinghamshire.
- Our area includes: Reading, Henley-on-Thames, Sonning Common, Woodley, Goring, Streatley, Pangbourne, Whitchurch, Newbury, Aldermaston, Tadley, Spencers Wood, Winersh, Wokingham, Bracknell, Windsor, Slough, Maidenhead, Marlow, High Wycombe.
- Members of other IVCs who are temporarily living or working in our area can attend our events using their membership. Similarly our members can attend other IVCs' events when staying in their area.
Events and the Bulletin
- We publish details of forthcoming events in a monthly bulletin, distributed by email or post.
- Individual members can also easily send out updates via an email distribution system.
- As a member can attend as many or few of the club's events as you wish.
- You can also attend some of the events of neighbouring clubs and all national events.
- The club does not make any charge for organising events, in fact it subsidises some.
- Individual members organise most of the activities, but the committee some larger ones.
- We encourage members to try to organise at least one event per year.
Membership Fees and the Club's Finances
- There is a basic annual membership fee of £30, which includes receiving bulletins by email.
- But you get a £3 discount when you renew if you have organised an event during the previous year.
- You can pay an extra £9 p.a. to receive a printed bulletin through the post.
- We keep overheads low, mostly: publicity, administration, a fee to the AIVC and insurance cover.
- Part of fee goes to subsidise some events. This benefits the more active club members.
- The club is non-profit making. Any surplus goes back into the club.
Part of a National Association of IVCs
- Our club is a member of the Association of IVCs (AIVC), of nearly 50 similar clubs with over 5000 members.
- We organise joint events with neighbouring IVCs and put events in each other's diaries.
- You can also attend national events organised by other IVCs and the AIVC (see the AIVC Diary.).
- You can join IVC Special Interest Groups for unusual and adventurous activities like flying..
- The AIVC also provides other services to clubs such as: national publicity, insurance cover, help and advice.
Other Facts
- Thames Valley IVC, like other IVCs, does not have any religious or political affiliations.
- IVCs are not just singles & dating clubs with a limited choice of social events but offer a wider range of activities with a relaxed atmosphere in which friendships, and sometimes more, can develop.
- IVC (in case you were wondering) stands for Inter-Varsity Club, reflecting its origins in the university world. The AIVC have a very interesting article on the Origins of the IVC.
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