Join the Friday Fun in Wollaston with the Fun Club

If you’re at a loose end on Fridays, why not join Fun Club? If you’re a dab hand at arts and crafts or a budding actor, or you’d just like to meet new people, socialise or help out simply by putting on a smile, making drinks and sharing skills, there’ll be a welcome for you there.

I popped along recently to see how they were getting on about 6 years my last visit. I was chuffed to see that they were still going.

Fun Club based in Wollaston is a social group where people can do as much or as little as they like, from arts and crafts, games, chat and occasional outings (members were looking forward to going to the Hippodrome when I visited). Primarily for learning disabled adults and adults with additional needs, Fun Club welcomes everyone and is very inclusive. Everyone is welcome to contribute to the friendly atmosphere and to participate in the range of activities.

The thing that the people who go to Fun Club would love to start doing again is drama and performances, but they don’t have enough people yet. Perhaps you or someone you know could join in and make the magic happen! Fun Club is also on the lookout for people to help out in small ways. This might include making tea, helping participants to get involved, chatting and welcoming new people.

I asked the members what they loved about Fun Club. Here’s what they said:

“I like being able to do everything here. sometimes we play dominoes, hooplah, skittles, arts and crafts, sometimes baking”

“I like doing crafts here”

“We used to do drama when we had more members and I’d like to do it again”

“I like to get out, otherwise I would be at home. I enjoy sewing here”

“I’m not keen on sewing but I come here every week to socialise”

Before the pandemic, Fun Club used to meet on Thursdays and Fridays and had lots of members to sustain a variety of activities, including drama. They performed two pantos a year at the church (I’ve been to a few of them over the years and they are absolutely legendary!). Sheila, Fun Club’s founder, is great at involving people in ways they are comfortable with. For instance, Sheila would ask people what panto they’d like to perform and when she always got lots of different responses, she’d stitch them together and write something unique, usually in rhyming couplets! Sheila has a background in working with learning disabled adults and includes Makaton as part of the performances.

As well as the drama, Fun Club offered arts and crafts activities like keyring making, card making, as well as set and costume making for the pantos, and members would dearly love more participants so they can do more activities again.

Fun Club currently meets every Friday, 1pm-4pm at Cobden Street Methodist Church, Wollaston. It’s £3.50 and that includes hot drinks and biscuits. Why not pop along to see for yourself? I know you’ll get a lovely welcome and you’ll help keep a lovely group going.