no news in this list.
The Tuesday Club meets in the Becket Centre on every second and fourth Tuesday in the month . Our meetings start at 2.00 pm and finish at about 4.00 pm. The club is open to anyone over the age of 55 although we have never insisted on that rule and we have certainly had younger people attending when the talk being given interested them. Nor do we confine membership to parishioners of St Thomas of Canterbury. We have members from other parishes and from no parish.
We have roughly 20 meetings each year and usually they take the form of a talk/video/quiz for the first half, followed by tea and an opportunity to chat. There is no membership fee but we do ask for 50p from everyone who attends the meetings to pay for the expenses of speakers, hire of hall, etc. We also arrange outings in the summer and walks in the forest on the first and third Tuesdays also in the summer. And every Christmas we have a festive lunch at a local hostelry.
Over the years we have had a wide variety of talks covering travel, local affairs, religion, finance, medicine. On travel we have had talks on China, India, various parts of Europe; local areas include Epping Forest, the cities of London and Westminster; religion has given us talks on the Gideon Bibles, a visit to the Holy Land, the work of the Marriage Tribunal. And we have had more unusual topics such as smuggling, the Suffragettes and flags. The speakers come from within the parish but also from around the district – wherever our indefatigable secretary can find them.
Apart from the talks we arrange other forms of entertainment for the Tuesday afternoons. One of the most popular with members is a quiz, usually set up by one of the members themselves. These quizzes are not the kind where memory is important – for obvious reasons given the age of our members. Rather we devise questions to test the acute reasoning powers which are the hall-mark of the more mature members of our parish.
Other popular events are afternoons of music and poetry. For instance we have had sessions of ‘Desert Island Discs’ presented by club members; we have also had selections of classical music and music from the shows, again organised by ourselves. For the poetry afternoons members bring along and read their favourite poems and we have had several very enjoyable sessions.
We also show a variety of videos. In some cases these have had a musical content – George Gershwin, Chopin, Tony Bennett. Others have taken us to different parts of the world to see the Statue of Liberty and the story of its construction, Stonehenge, the Taj Mahal. The most recent one, during Lent, was a tour of all the shrines of the Holy Land.
The outings are very varied, ranging from the sacred – the Cathedrals at Westminster, St Albans and Canterbury – to the secular – Audley End, Ham House, Leeds and Windsor Castles, Hampton Court. We also visit the seaside – Brighton, Eastbourne. This summer we are paying a visit to the Rothschild home at Waddesdon Manor in Buckinghamshire. So we try to cater for all tastes and interests in these trips.
We also try to cater for those of a less sedentary disposition and during the summer particularly but also on good days in the winter, a number of members enjoy a walk somewhere in Epping Forest, admiring the scenery and flowers. These walks always finish up at a welcoming pub where a hearty lunch is consumed.
These gatherings enable parishioners to become better friends, they provide a welcome break for those who live alone, they are a relatively easy way of spending an entertaining afternoon without the effort of going up to London. We believe that the club is an important contribution to the parish activities, particularly for the less mobile and active part of the community.
Many of us can remember a time when the parish was a much more central part of their lives, providing both religious and social activities. We started in the cubs or brownies, then on to scouts or guides and youth club. As we grew older the dramatic club or operatic club would beckon. Life is different today for the young with many other forms of entertainment available so parochial clubs and events are no longer needed as once they were. However as we get older and out mobility declines and horizons narrow organisations like the Tuesday Club become very important to some parishioners. They are a very welcome way of escaping from the routine of home and maintaining contacts and friendships.
It is very important for the parish as a whole that such a club should continue to flourish. Like any other organisation the club does need a continual addition of new members to keep it fresh and responsive to peoples’ needs. We recommend it to our parishioners as a worth while activity where those who cannot be quite so active in the parish now can still contribute something to, and gain something from, the parish life. Why not come along and try it.
We give notice in the parish bulletin each week of the next meeting and the topic to be covered. Anyone interested in joining is welcome to come along to the Becket Centre.
You can also speak to the Chairman or Secretary – Christie Quinn and Alma Quinn respectively on 020 8505 3183 – to get any further information.
We welcome feedback
To help continue the improvement of the site we actively encourage feedback from users. Please let us have your thoughts and ideas and do please let us know of any errors that you may have spotted - by using this feedback form.