Rotherham Round Table fighting loneliness and the effects of the cost-of-living crisis

Rotherham Round Table shelled out almost £300 to cover start-up costs for the weekly Senior Social Club at Brinsworth Library, which is out to provide a cosy spot for people to meet during winter.

The grant will pay for tea, coffee, snacks, activity materials and games — and library supervisor Leah Fletcher said the “warm space” was already hot news in the community.

“We started two weeks ago and it’s just taken off absolutely brilliantly,” she said.

“We had about 17 people attending and if they could stay longer they would, so we are thinking about extending it.

“The Senior Social Club is aimed at the senior members of the community but it’s not age-limited — we want it to be welcoming to everyone.

“Every week, we do a crossword challenge where the winner gets a piece of cake from the local village bistro, No 21.

“We have all sorts of games and puzzles and a few people have brought in their own games.

“The main thing is the social side — everybody comes in for a good chat.”

Leah said providing somewhere warm and welcoming for those worrying about heating their homes had been central to the idea of the new club.

“The whole reason behind it is the warm space for the winter,” she said.

“Senior residents are the most at risk of becoming cold and lonely, so that’s why we decided to do it in the morning — I cannot see them wanting to come out after dark.

“People talk about being worried about putting the heat on and have mentioned how the library is cosy and clean.

“We also have a lot of people who work from home coming in as we have free wi-fi and it’s warm.

“A lot of residents coming to our Knit and Natter group have mentioned about rising costs and being worried about putting the heating on — that’s the main topic every time in whatever group we have.”

Leah said the library was a real community hub, adding: “The books are just a small part of what we do.”

She said the Round Table grant was “fantastic”, adding: “We would not have been able to start this group without it.

“They were behind it from the start and really supportive with our application.

“The club has been so popular we are going to need an extra table.

“We did set it up just as a winter option but it’s grown so we will probably put it on the permanent rota.

“There is a real buzz about the library — we have Rhyme Time on a Thursday morning and then the social club from 11am to noon.”

Rotherham Round Table’s community liaison officer, Phil O’Brien, who dropped by to meet the team behind the club, said: “It’s a fantastic cause and our members are glad we could offer the financial support to get the club up and running.

“We are always on the lookout for other deserving causes in Rotherham and openly invite applications.”

Rotherham Round Table members will be out and about with comrades from Rotherham Sitwell Rotary and Rotherham 41 Club next month on their popular annual Santa sleigh runs, which bring in donations to fund their community grants.

Their calendar for 2022 will be published soon on the Rotherham Round Table 24 Facebook page.

Email [email protected] to make an enquiry about applying for a community grant.