Pub lunch clubs with Age Concern

HAPPY 10th ANNIVERSARY to Ruyton XI Towns Pub Lunch Club! The above photo shows the organisers following their anniversary lunch in March this year. It is a great achievement that this group have been organising such a successful pub lunch club for 10 years now and they regularly welcome an average of 40 members to each lunch which meet at The New Inn in Baschurch on the 3rd Monday of every month. Well done to them all!

GREAT COMPANY, GOOD FOOD, NICE VENUE, LOW COST, HAVE FUN!!

Would you like to get together with like-minded people once a month to enjoy each others lovely company and good food at a reasonable price? Yes!

Throughout the county, people who are over 60 are meeting together in their communities to enjoy each others company and good food. Each club meets once a month on a recurring day, for example the first Monday, at the same local venue to enjoy a 2 course lunch with tea or coffee for a reduced price.

No membership is required but all lunches must be prebooked and cancelled if unable to attend.

Age Concern Shropshire Telford & Wrekin now have 55 local pub lunch clubs around the county so why not contact your nearest co-ordinator and come along to the next lunch meeting (follow the link to details).

History
Following a successful pilot scheme in 1995, the Pub Lunch Club scheme was launched in 1998 in response to a survey Age Concern carried out looking into the views of older people. The aim is to help communities set up their own local pub lunch club and for the new club to become self running. The new club will then provide an opportunity to bring people together in communities where little or no services for older people existed, so that they could enjoy good food at an affordable cost on a regular basis.

We now boast 55 clubs around Shropshire with over 1500 people enjoying getting together once a month. Many who go say how sociable the lunch clubs are and how nice it is to meet friends, neighbours and new people alike whilst enjoying lunch together. Some comments that we have received from people who go along to their local club are;

“It’s a great opportunity to meet up with everyone from my community”

“I live alone and wouldn’t normally consider going somewhere on my own. My Pub Lunch Club enables me to get out and meet people who are in a similar situation”

“How nice it is to enjoy a roast dinner and not have to cook it myself!”

“I’ve met so many new people and also someone I used to go to school with through our local Pub Lunch Club”

“We enjoy going to quite a few lunch clubs throughout the month – it’s lovely to explore the county and take advantage of the reduced prices at the same time”

Contact us for a list of pub clubs today and try for yourself.

How to Join
If you are interested in attending a pub lunch club nearby you can contact us, during office hours for details of your nearest pub lunch club and co-ordinator or you can click on the link called
'Pub Lunch Club Web Contact List' which will give you the details of where each of our pub club meets, which day and a contact name and telephone number.

Booking
To enquire and prebook your lunch please contact your nearest pub lunch club co-ordinator 1 week in advance of the next lunch. It would be greatly appreciated if you could please show consideration with the time of day that you ring.

If you are going along on your own it is a good idea to let the co-ordinator know so that they can welcome you when you arrive and help you to settle in and introduce you to some people during the first lunch if you would like them to.

No Pub Lunch Club near you?
We are always keen to work with a community to help set up a new pub lunch club where a suitable local or nearby venue exists. If you think this is a good idea and would like to join an existing club or help us, to set one up in your community, please let her know by contacting her on Tel: 01743 233123.

Frequently asked questions
Please click on the attachment for frequently asked questions and answers and please don't hesitate to contact us on Tel: 01743 233123 if you would like more information.

Talks
We are available to give a talk about the Pub Lunch Club Scheme and welcomes all enquiries.

NEWS NEWS NEWS NEWS

Just One Person Challenge
Do you know someone who would really benefit and enjoy going to a local pub lunch club?
There are so many older people without family support who have become isolated from their communities or its services and who find it very difficult to reach out to someone when they need help in any way.

An issue for many organisations and charities is actually making that first contact with someone who would benefit from one of our services. More often than not Age Concern is contacted by a helpful neighbour or health professional who believes that a pub lunch club might be just the kind of social event that the person in question would enjoy going to and where they would be welcomed and make new friends.

Could you help by thinking of someone you might be able to persuade to try their local pub lunch club? If you would like Age Concern to help by telephoning or sending some information please call on tel: 01743 233123 Extension 255.

New Pub Lunch Clubs!
Wellington
At the Wickets, Holyhead Roadd, Wellington on the 2nd Wednesday each month. It costs £6 for 2 courses
LUNCHES MUST BE PREBOOKED a week in advance
(please see list for co-ordinator contact details)

Pub Lunch Club Newsletter
The 3 Spring edition of our newsletter, “Pub Club News” is now in circulation – you can download a copy on this page or if you would like us to send you one in the post please contact us with your details.

The deadline for our next edition is strictly Friday 30 May 2008 and all contributions are welcome.

Clubs on the move
The following pub lunch clubs have recently voted to move venue and are now meeting at the following venues;

Dawley – The Queens Arms, Finger Road, Oswestry
Gobowen - Lord Moreton, Chirk
Meole Brace - The Brooklands, Shrewsbury
Montford Bridge - The Cross Gates, Ford
Oswestry – The Oswestrian
Ruyton XI Towns - The New Inn, Baschurch

Well done to all of these organisers for sourcing and negotiating a great deal at the new venues for their lunch club members.

Changes to existing clubs
We have recently said goodbye to several of our longstanding volunteer co-ordinators who have stepped down from their roles. Everyone at Age Concern Shropshire Telford & Wrekin would like to extend their thanks for all of their hard work and efforts for their communities over the past few years and wish them all the best.

Many thanks to Ron Rogerson - Belle Vue Pub Lunch Club, Peter Hutton - Bishops Castle Pub Lunch Club, Nan Humphries - Corfton Pub Lunch Club, Kath Brickley – Dawley Pub Lunch Club, Eileen Rossington – Lydbury North Pub Lunch Club, Eric Dodd – Meole Brace Pub Lunch Club, Jannette Hill - Highley Pub Lunch Club, Joan Tonkinson – Ludlow Pub Lunch Club and Lynn Pearson – Much Wenlock Pub Lunch Club.

A very big welcome to the kind volunteers who have taken over these positions – please see our current list for more details.

If you are interested in finding out more about Pub Lunch Clubs or talking to us about any of the above please contact her at the Age Concern Shrewsbury office for more information on

Tel: 01743 233123 extension 255 (Usual working hours are Tuesdays 10.00am - 3.00pm Wednesdays and Thursdays 10.00am - 5.00pm)