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September 2019
News
Twenty years of the Young at Heart Club
M
embers of Bradley Stoke’s popular Young at Heart Club gathered at Christ the King Church on Thursday 22nd August for a party to celebrate the group’s 20th anniversary. In this article, club members Josie Hadden and Brenda Capel look back at the history of one of the town’s oldest institutions. In March 1999, Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre placed an advertisement in the local paper asking for local people to form a club for the over 50s. Bradley Stoke was still a relatively new town at this time and there was a lack of provision for social groups. Around nine people, including Brenda Caple and her husband, turned up for the initial meeting to discuss the setting up of this club. The leisure centre offered us the use of a room rent free and the provision of tea and coffee also free of charge, for a period of six months, after which time a decision would be taken as to whether or not the club would continue. The following week, several other people turned up keen to join the club, amongst others Jean Seagar. Bradley Stoke Leisure Centre introduced us to a lady from Yate who had many years’ experience of running clubs with the aim of her assisting us in the process
of setting up the club and the associated requirements. These included the need to form a committee consisting of chair, vice chair, treasurer, secretary etc. Jim Adams was voted in as the first chairman and held the role for many years. The other roles were duly filled. The club now needed a name and Jean Seagar came up with the name ‘Young at Heart”. The club was now ready to move on with the weekly meetings. The lady from Yate advised Jean that in connection with the committee she would need to think of weekly activities to fill the diary for three months in advance – not an easy task! However, she did show us her own diary so that we get some ideas of what activities to aim for. In the early weeks, members spent the time getting acquainted with each other and were quite happy to share their personal experiences with the other members e.g. what jobs they held prior to retiring and where they lived before landing in Bradley Stoke etc. Many an interesting story was told. Amazingly, more often than not by the end of the afternoon no one was ready to leave as the weekly meetings were proving to be very enjoyable and fun. Jean was often heard saying, “Come on let’s be having you – have you no homes to go to?” Fred, Dennis, Bill Morris and
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