Liphook Community Magazine Spring 2022

Farewell to the Over 60’s Club
by Sue Knight & Jen Woodsford. Photos courtesy of Haslemere Herald.
The Over 60s Club metamorphosed from the original Darby and
Joan club in September 1962 when the first meeting was held
in the church hut with 36 members. They soon moved to the
Methodist Church Hall but as numbers increased they moved
their fortnightly meetings to the Village Hall in 1965.
The first club chairperson was Arthur Knee MBE and other
founder members were Mrs Shelton and Fred Huddleston, who
were both involved with the Old People’s Welfare now known as
Age Concern Liphook, and Mrs Good who was a later chairperson.
The club’s heyday seemed to be during the 1970s and 1980s.
In 1975 membership was nearly 100 and in 1982, 83. Mrs Iris
Ross was a notable mainstay of the club in this era. There was
an Over 60s choir led by Mrs Shelton and several day trips took
place. They had Christmas parties, a Christmas Bazaar and an
Easter Bonnet Parade.
Recorded minutes date back to the 1980s and show that the
format for meetings changed very little over the years.
Fortnightly meetings continued to be held in the Village Hall,
opening with a hymn and the club prayer, holding a raffle and
closing with their farewell song. Speakers gave talks on such
diverse subjects as Cake Decorating, Bygone Rural Crafts,
Family and Local History, Wildlife and Nature. Trading
Standards, the local Health Authority, the British Legion and the
Police have also sent representatives to give talks. They also
held regular quizzes, bingo sessions and beetle drives. The
Christmas Party, day trips and the annual lunch completed the
yearly programme. Faithful long-standing leaders of the club at
that time were Iris and John Ross, Monica and Gilbert Church
and Beryl and Jim Bridge.
Sue Knight first heard about the Over 60s Club when she met
Jim Bridge outside Gables Newsagents and heard about the
outing he had organised to Odiham to visit the helicopter
station. Sue remembers her first meeting where she won a plant
in the raffle which she still has. Around this time Beryl Bridge
was both chair and treasurer and appealed for help or the club
would have had to close. So, in September 2007 a new
committee was formed and at the first committee meeting,
which was held in the home of Avis Funge, Sue Knight took
over as Secretary.
Outing to RAF Odiham, 2004.
Sue fondly remembers many musical afternoons with choirs or
ukulele bands, the Summer and Autumn Tints outings using
Richardsons Coaches, including the occasion when it broke
down outside Midhurst, and the Christmas Shows in the New
Forest. Also, the annual Christmas teas with entertainment,
lunches in the Spring and garden parties at Avis Funge’s in the
summer. Avis Funge went on to become president and their
oldest member when they closed was Betty Bias. The Age
Concern minibus was well used by them with the minibus doing
two tours of the village to collect members for each meeting.
The club was self-funded with donations from Liphook Age
Concern, LIDBA and the Carnival committee.
Gradually over the years numbers have dwindled. In 2013 there
were 50 members, mostly women, although men folk joined in
on the day trips. By 2019 numbers were down to about 30.
unfortunately, times have changed and there were less and less
new members joining. The existing members increased in age
and they jokingly called themselves the Over 80s Club. In
practical terms it became more difficult to hold events as more
members had mobility issues. However, their last outing, which
was to Arundel in the Autumn of 2019 was very successful.
In March 2020 they held their usual fortnightly meeting where
Whitehill W.I. ladies sang to them and then we all went into
lockdown. The Coronavirus pandemic 2020-21 proved a step
too far. Over the following months initially no meetings were
allowed and then guidelines were felt too restrictive for older
folk to easily and safely meet so
there were no further
meetings until December 2021.
By then Beryl Bridge, Sue
Knight and the rest of the
committee had sadly decided
that it was time to call it a day.
50 Years Anniversary meeting in October 2012.
Sadly, the final meeting was
held in December 2021 where
members were each given a
present comprising a cup and
saucer as a memento (previously
used at their meetings) and a
box of biscuits. The remaining
funds were donated to
Liphook In Bloom.
Beryl and Sue at the Legacy
Lunch in March 2014.
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