February 2022

32
Wanstead Village Directory
HEALTHY RETiREMENT
Margot Cooper is a former catering officer for the Royal National Throat,
Nose and Ear Hospital and is keen to welcome more retired health care
professionals to the local branch of the NHS Retirement Fellowship
The NHS Retirement Fellowship is
a national charity set up in 1978 as
a social, leisure, educational and
welfare organisation for NHS staff. Today,
the Fellowship comprises a much wider
membership from the health and social
care sector and their partners, and includes
staff that have been outsourced to the
private sector, hospice staff, League of
Friends helpers and volunteers generally.
Membership can be postal or in branch (there
are over 120 branches across the country). All
members have the opportunity to be involved
in the wide range of interesting and fun
activities within branches and nationally.
Our local branch (covering Redbridge and
Waltham Forest) has been going for over 40
years and meets at the pastoral centre of
Our Lady of Lourdes in Wanstead on the first
Monday of the month from 2pm to 4pm. There
is an annual £30 fee and a local £2 per meeting
charge. Our monthly meetings are a time to
enjoy live entertainment, listen to serious
talks on ageing problems and the necessary
paperwork, plus events featuring speakers,
singers, artists and authors.
Our branch has a welfare coordinator who
is very diligent at looking after the needs
of the unwell, and indeed every member’s
welfare. We also have a number of clubs
offering different activities. Our bowls group
play indoors and outdoors all year round. The
lunch club offers afternoon teas at different
locations. Our concerts and theatre outings
(using your freedom pass) with block-booked
tickets has yet to restart, but organised
walks are ongoing. We have a wonderful
organiser for trips – some just for a day out
to gardens and outdoor shows, nurseries and
places of interest, others for short holidays to
January’s meeting of the Redbridge
and Waltham Forest branch of the
NHS Retirement Fellowship
Ireland and middle England. Our computing
club needs a little help and we welcome
suggestions for speakers and entertainers.
We publish a magazine, News and Views, three
times a year. The editor is always looking for
interesting and relevant articles.
Our group needs more volunteers to make the
tea and take part in running the club and the
committee. We certainly have room for a few
more members as the hall holds 120.
One benefit of the pandemic has been
Zoom and getting to watch talks organised
by Mirthy (mirthy.co.uk), which offers free
online events for our members (recent
presentations have covered topics such as
London architecture and family history). But
you do need a screen and you are usually
alone. So, it would be lovely to see new faces
at the club.
The Redbridge and Waltham Forest branch
of the NHS Retirement Fellowship meets at
the pastoral centre of Our Lady of Lourdes,
51 Cambridge Park, Wanstead, E11 2PR.
For more information, visit nhsrf.org.uk or
call 01305 361 317
To advertise, call 020 8819 6645 or visit wnstd.com