Mareham-le-Fen Lunch Club Launch

AS THE festive season gets under way, a new style of Age UK Lindsey luncheon club is attracting those looking to socialise and enjoy a tasty, homemade, freshly cooked plate of food.

Of course, the latest luncheon club to be added to the charity's growing list of events will continue into the new year and beyond, already proving popular with the people of Mareham-le-Fen and those who travelled to support Age UK Lindsey's latest social gathering.

Held at the village's thatched Royal Oak pub, visitors to the club enjoyed a main meal and a tea or coffee for just £6 per person. Being whisked out from the popular eatery's kitchen were scrumptious treats such as steaming hot pies with mash and peas and succulent ham with egg and chips!

From nearby Woodhall Spa, Joyce and Ken Batty have been to several luncheon clubs around the county and thought that the quaint, white-washed pub was lovely. Ken said his food was absolutely “brilliant”.

Sharing Ken and Joyce's table were Pam and Neil Holland. They said: “We love meeting new people – it gets you out of the house. We will definitely be returning.”

From Mareham-le-Fen, Lesley and John Spink found out about the new luncheon club from a flyer, which was posted through their letterbox. Lesley said: “I called to ask if we could be intermittent members, as we normally play golf on a Tuesday, and we were told that was fine – we get rained off a lot! We go dancing as well, but we don't do an awful lot in the village and we thought it would be nice to meet new people and old friends.”

Having lived in Mareham-le-Fen for 53 years, Mr and Mrs Spink continued: “The village has changed so much since we moved here. There were only a handful of families and now there are two estates, and we don't know anyone who lives there. The club is an opportunity to meet them and also to come to the pub, which we don't normally do. It has been a nice change.”

In post for the last two months, and funded through Age UK Lindsey's partnership with TED (Talk, Eat, Drink) Social Activities Coordinator Alison Macdonald has been tasked with finding places with existing facilities in which to host new lunch clubs for the over 50s – this, of course, includes the great British pub, many of which already serve food, tea and coffee. She said: “Whilst I will be continuing to support the established clubs in Skegness, Woodhall, Horncastle and Fiskerton, I will be looking at interesting places in which to start new lunch clubs. The next lunch club launch will be at the White Horse, in Louth, on Wednesday, February 5, from 12 to 2pm. This will run fortnightly. I imagine it will cost the same as Mareham-le-Fen, but we will confirm this in the new year.

“My overall goal is to get people out of isolation and into a group environment so I am hoping that, in addition to the clubs in community centres and similar, we can attract people to some of the area's cosy pubs.”

If the Mareham-le-Fen gathering is anything to go by, grub in a pub will prove to be a popular addition to the Age UK Lindsey calendar. Since the dawn of the “oldest inn in England” – said to be Ye Olde Fighting Cocks of St Alban's – the British pub has been a haven of food, drink and chin wagging – how could these new luncheon clubs be anything but successful as we head towards a wonderful new year?

For further details about Age UK Lindsey's luncheon clubs around the area, call Alison on 01507 524242. The luncheon club at Mareham-le-Fen will be held weekly, on a Tuesday, at the Royal Oak, at 12pm. The last of the year will be held on December 10, with a small break for Christmas, returning on January 7.

For more on the charity, visit www.ageuk.org.uk/lindsey. If you have issues with transport, call Lincolnshire County Council's CallConnect service (0345 234 3344), which has a flexible, bookable bus service throughout the rural community.