History

Orinoco’s first Annual General Meeting was held on 16th December 1993. The Charity was registered with the Charity Commission on 31st October 1994. Our constitution was adopted on 16th December 1993 and updated on 11th August 1994 as part of the charity registration process.

Orinoco started life in a kitchen and originally ran out of a cupboard. Support from the National Lottery and local Councils (the Districts, City and County) allowed Orinoco to grow and move to premises in Botley (West Oxford).

Following a funding crisis in the late 1990s, Orinoco moved from Botley to Wood Farm and then to our current home in the Bullingdon Community Centre in Lye Valley. We have been working successfully with the Bullingdon Community Association since 2002.

We would love to include more about our history on the website but much of it is shrouded in mystery. A lot of historical paperwork was lost in the move from Botley and the subsequent moves prior to Orinoco arriving at our current home.

It is a shame that many of the volunteers who have given considerable time to Orinoco in the past receive no thanks on the website. We’d like to change that, so if you are an ex-volunteer, a former member of staff or even one of our founders, please get in touch and say hello.