A community group in Thatcham has grown from strength to strength since starting 10 years ago.
CAMEO (Come and Meet Each Other) runs weekly sessions at St Mary’s Church to give elderly, bereaved and residents living alone a safe place to socialise, play games and enjoy refreshments.
Beneficiaries of CAMEO at their Christmas party in December
The group, which started with just a handful of people, now welcomes 25 regular visitors, mainly from Thatcham, and marked its 10th anniversary last year.
Viv Druce, one of two leaders who run the group, spoke to newburytoday at the group’s first session after Christmas yesterday (Monday).
“It’s become a club,” she said. “Some of them don’t get out unless they come to something like this. We look out for each other.”
John Evans has visited since the start and also remembers going to the church with his father, who worked there in the 1960s.
Regular visitors to CAMEO, including Maura Hearn and John Evans, left
He said: “We used to get more than this but when Covid started, we lost a few.
“But we still get many people come along. My partner and I used to come. She passed away two years ago. We were one of the first ones that started coming.”
And speaking about how he has benefitted from the sessions, he added: “It gets you out of the house. We do all different things, like today we’re doing games and a word search, and then another week we do a quiz.”
The group also plays bingo and enjoys history talks from visiting speakers.
Maura Hearn, who has been going for seven years, added: “It’s made a huge difference to me. I come here every week. They do a lot for us, and they are very kind.”
The group meets every Monday from 2pm till 4pm in the Meeting Room, on the left side as you enter the church. Residents of all faiths or no faith are welcome.
Two drivers are available to support residents unable to travel.
Contact max.dowding@btinternet.com or call 07831 607895 to with any questions or tp receive further information.