On 22nd July I had the pleasure of being invited to the AGM of the Purley and Old Coulsdon Clubs for the Elderly (PACE).
What a great club! It was fantastic to hear about the work undertaken by the committee, volunteers and Centre Manager and talk to the members about the activities that go on at the club. These include craft sessions, discussions, bingo, quizzes, musical entertainment, exercise classes, fundraising, and talks by interesting speakers. There is even an annual residential trip – last year’s was to Hayling Island. For those with mobility issues, a minibus is on hand for pick-ups.
The club meets twice a week at the Dorothy Mortby Centre in Landsdowne Road in Purley, and always includes a freshly cooked lunch. Sampling the food yesterday, it was delicious.
Although ‘Purley’ and ‘Coulsdon’ are in the name, Kenley residents are also welcome to attend – and in fact a few of the volunteers live in Kenley.
If you’d like to know more about joining, there is a website at https://www.purleyandcoulsdonclubsfortheelderly.com/about-us, but if you prefer to know more by talking on the phone you can call on 020 8668 2270.
My councillor colleague, Simon Brew, from Purley and Woodcote Ward is now the Chair of the Club and he is also passionate about providing opportunities for older people in our area to meet-up and make friends. It was great to see Cllr Richard Chatterjee at the AGM as well, in his role as immediate past Civic Mayor of Croydon.
It was a truly inspirational visit.
