Chairman's Newsletter - Nov 2025
Tuesday 11th November 2025
STOP PRESS – 10% discount available to members on Sunday Roast Dinners – click here for the menu.
Dear Members,
I hope you have all been enjoying this mild November. We have just had the mildest Guy Fawkes night on record, at just above 14 degrees.
Osborne is now operating winter opening (from November 8th) and is closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. A Festive Afternoon Tea is going to be available on Fridays and Saturdays from Friday 21st November to Saturday 20th December from 12 -2pm. Click here for further details - Festive Afternoon Tea at Osborne | English Heritage
Osborne is also introducing a Sunday Roast. Tim Foster, the new Food and Beverage Manager, wanted me to share an invitation to all Friends of Osborne with his plan for a new winter food menu. The launch will be on Sunday 16th November and each guest will receive a complimentary glass of sparkling wine on arrival.
Please click here to see Tim Foster’s invitation and details of booking in the downloads section - Friends of Osborne | Chairman's Newsletter - Nov 2025. This needs to be booked in advance. Hopefully Friends of Osborne members will receive 10% discount, but this is yet to be confirmed.
Recent events at Osborne have gone down well. Toby’s Autumn Walk was fully booked and everyone seems to have had an enjoyable and informative tour.
Please click here for photos of the event - Friends of Osborne | Autumnal Walk 2025
EH Osborne’s Halloween event was a great success and brought a wonderful team spirit, as many staff volunteered to make this event so scary!
Friends of Osborne Education Award. I had the unenviable task, with Laura Bosworth and Christopher Warleigh-Lack, of judging the winners of the self-portrait competition. Over 200 portraits from twelve schools were entered in the competition and it was a very difficult task. We chose one winner from each school, and the committee were left to make the final decision. We chose a wonderful charcoal portrait by a pupil from The Island Free School. The school receives a prize of £250. There were many exceptional entries and Friends of Osborne agreed to fund a second prize of £100 to the school who was runner up. We were thrilled with the number of entries and hope that this is the first of many years of successful challenges set for the local schools.
I popped into the Education Rooms last week when the craft session was taking place. There was a lovely atmosphere as the members concentrated on making some beautiful decorations for the four Christmas trees, which Friends of Osborne is purchasing. Two will sit each side of POQ, one opposite the POQ entrance and one will go in the Courtyard.
These craft sessions were held on Friday mornings in October and thoroughly enjoyed by the members. I talked to someone who is a new member, and she said she had really enjoyed making these decorations.
Click here for pictures - Friends of Osborne | 2025 Christmas Tree Decorations
The Osborne Library will be open during November on the following dates: Friday 14th November. Friday 21st November. Friday 28th November. Opening time 10:00 -12:00.
It is located in the Equerries Corridor in the House - if you have come into the house via the Ramped Entrance, turn left out of the entrance room on the visitor route, and it is the first door on the right. As you enter, please let the volunteer librarians know you are a member of the Friends, so you are not mistaken for a lost member of the public!
Our AGM is on 24th November at 11.00 in The Terrace Restaurant.
We are hoping that as we have changed to a day time meeting, it will be well attended. The AGM papers went out earlier this week and we would be grateful if you can inform us if you are attending. This will enable us to inform the caterers how many cakes to prepare! Refreshments will be on offer when you arrive. If you are unable to attend, will you please fill in the proxy voting form. As we have 1200 members, we need a quorum of 60. I am standing down as a trustee after 6 years and members will be voting on 2 new trustees. Friends of Osborne | AGM -Attendance/Proxy Form - Monday 24th Nov 2025
Before we hold the AGM, Victoria Stone, the Manager of Osborne will give an interesting and informative talk about future projects and plans for Osborne House.
For any members who would like to attend the Wreath Making Workshop on November 27th at 11.00am, please click here for details and booking forms - Friends of Osborne | Christmas Wreath Making Workshop
The Christmas Tree Festival at Whippingham Church is on 18th to 21st December. People can visit St. Mildred’s Church to see the huge number of trees that will be displayed there from 11:00 to 15:00 on the Thursday, Friday and Saturday; and from 13:00 to 16:00 on the Sunday. Friends of Osborne will be displaying a tree.
Christmas Carols in the Courtyard on December 12th.
This year’s plans for carols in the courtyard are well underway. There will be a community choir together with a musician on keyboard to lead us, a fire pit in the courtyard to add that Christmas glow and mince pies and mulled wine.
Please click here for more information and booking forms - Friends of Osborne | Carols in the Courtyard
We are forever looking at possible new events and at ways to make entry onto the Osborne site easier for members and staff of EH. Our membership secretary is currently in the process of changing over to a new membership system. Further details will follow in due course.
This is my last newsletter as Chairman. I will be standing down at the AGM to enable someone else to take on the reins of Chairman. I will remain on the committee and continue to take an active part in helping to organise and run events.
I hope to see many of you at our AGM on November 24th and possibly over Sunday lunch in the Terrace Restaurant over the coming months.
Best wishes
Allison Rogers