Bearsted Sunday Lunch Club

SUNDAY LUNCH CLUB: Loneliness and isolation are very common issues that many people face on a day-to-day basis in our society; research shows links between social isolation and higher risks of mental and physical conditions.

Claire Maynard and Katy Frankham, both from Bearsted, have started a Sunday Lunch Club for people who feel isolated or lonely to allow them to socialise and spend time with other people in their community.

The ladies offer home-cooked soup and cake for the lunch for those that feel they need to be connected with their community.

The Methodist Church was kind enough to donate their hall for the first lunch which took place on 19 January 2020 at 12:45pm – 2:45pm. For their first meeting they had space for 45 reservations and there was no charge for attending.

Claire Maynard told CommunityAd about the first meeting, “Having grown up in the village as sisters, we wanted to find a way to link our community to some of the more isolated in the area, who would have seen the village change so much over the years. It was also important for us to involve our children so they could help out and learn to look beyond our own front doors.

We were overwhelmed by the number of volunteers and support we had for the event. A special thanks has to go to Paul at the Oak on the Green for donating helpful supplies and spreading the word, Nick from SMB taxis who dropped people off and took them home again free of charge, the Methodist church for donating its hall, and Sally, our local community warden, for sharing the word.

“We hope to continue and go on to host these monthly with the support and sponsorship of local businesses to give people a place to go for an informal meal and a chat with transportation to get there. One of the people who came along, John, turned out to be an expert pianist and entertained us all with some oldie but goodie songs.”

You can contact either Clare Maynard on 07824 830930 or Katy Frankham on 07515 49692 to find out the dates for the next meeting and book or you can contact Clare through email: [email protected]

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