The
Company Club, a friendship club, for widowed, divorced, separated and single
people was founded on May 22nd 2013 by Kay Forristal. The Club caters for people
from 30 to 100 years of age. Proof of age is required for those over 100 she
says! After the death of her husband John in
2010, Kay experienced acute loneliness particularly on Sunday's and
bank holiday weekends. Kay set up the club with a view to bringing people
in similar circumstances together to form a social network.
We
meet every Tuesday morning in the Tower Hotel between 11am and 1pm for coffee
and an informal chat. The Club meets every Wednesday at the Roanmore Centre in
Waterford at 8pm where we have music and dancing. Everyone is assured of a warm
welcome and a feeling of being among friends again.
Kay stresses that it is not a dating
club rather a Friendship Club. We are a young crowd. Members have rediscovered
joy in their lives, laughter, real fun and friendship. The Company Club is a
non-profit organisation. On Wednesday evening there is a fee of 4 Euro to cover
the cost of the weekly music. Membership for the year is 10 Euro.
We
go away on the Bank Holiday weekends. We have been to Killarney in 2013 and
Galway in 2014 and we are currently planning a weekend away in June this year.
Every month we go on a day’s outing. So far we have been to: Cork City, Spike
Island in Cobh. Swiss Cottage outside Cahir, Mitchelstown Caves in Tipperary.
Kennedy Park, Loftus Hall, Hook Head. Kilkenny City. The Japanese Gardens,
National Stud and Wexford Town. Our next trip at the end of March is to Dublin
to The Dail.
After
nationwide exposure in the Sunday Independent Life magazine in 2013 Company
Clubs have been formed in Counties Kerry, Tipperary North and South and in
Carlow. Kay’s vision is to have a Company club in every town in Ireland. There
is a social need for this to happen sooner rather than later. If anyone would
like to set up a group in their area they would be happy to offer advice,
support and guidance.
In
a new development Kay and her steering team have decided help people to set up
a Club for the 25 plus age group. Kay says ‘People can feel lonely and
isolated at any age. We have found that the remedy is inclusion. We are happy
to offer guidance and assistance in an advisory capacity to anyone who would
like to start their own group.’
``For
more information Kay can be contacted at k_forristal@yahoo.ie
Telephone
087 9430599 or Sandie at 086 1638630
