A new group aimed to “alleviate loneliness” among elderly men in the Alsager area has appealed for members.
Geezers is a club for men aged 65 and over, and a place where people can sit and chat with “other blokes” every Thursday from 1.30pm till 3.30pm at the Thirteen Club on Cedar Avenue.
The group was set up by Kath Knight, a retired community engagement worker for St Luke’s Hospice, towards the end of last year after she noticed the lack of social opportunities elderly men have in the town.
Speaking to the Chronicle Mrs Knight said: “Geezers is the opportunity to just meet up with other men in similar circumstances.
“When the pandemic hit elderly people were totally isolated – even prior to covid these people were isolated because of their age so they were increasingly lonely.
“Some people are still quite nervous to come and mix in groups; the pandemic has been very damaging, as they don’t want to be a burden on people or tell anyone that they are lonely.”
She added: “Men are quite hard to attract to groups whereas women take up the offers more easily. We’ve also found that men don’t seem to get access to the same sort of groups that women do.
“Our members just want to chat with other blokes and a lot of them have made friends and keep in touch with each other outside of the group. It offers friendships and beyond.
“The club is going well but we don’t have enough people coming. We get 10 people every week, which isn’t really enough, because if people don’t show up for whatever reason, then there are less people to talk to. More people would add more conversation!”
Members of Geezers have the opportunity to chat with men that are a similar age to them or play a variety of games including dominoes and darts.
Mrs Knight is also the organiser behind Heydays, which is a social club for both men and women aged 65 and over. It sees 40 members in attendance at the Thirteen Club every Friday, from 2pm till 4pm.
Heydays is a popular club that has been running for more than four years; members take part in a variety of activities such as bingo, raffles and quizzes.
For more information contact Mrs Knight on 07443 492 573.
