Young and Old Celebrate St Patrick’s Day at The Thursday Club

Published on: 21 Mar, 2023
Updated on: 20 Mar, 2023

By Hugh Coakley

The Thursday Club at St Mary’s Catholic Church Hall, Rydes Hill, celebrated St Patrick’s Day with a fish and chip dinner and an entertainer singing Irish ballads and other songs.

The well attended event with 36 club members ranging from 65 to 95 years old, joined in the singing with old favourites such as The Fields of Athenry and Paddy McGinty’s Goat.

The children from Stoughton Pre-School entertained The Thursday Club members at their St Patrick’s Day celebrations at St Mary’s Church Hall in Rydes Hill.

Children from Stoughton Pre-School joined in as well, dancing to the tunes and delighting everyone.

The fish and chip lunch, which was kindly donated by Stoughton Pre-School, was followed by apple pie and ice cream. The tiny children, all under five, had little ice cream cones as a less messy alternative.

Monique Rivet, one of club members, treated all to wine and soft drinks to celebrate a special day, her 80th birthday.

Children from Stoughton Pre-School nursery at the St Patrick’s Day celebrations.

Mary Lawrence, one of the club organisers, said: “The Thursday Club would very much like to thank the Stoughton Pre-School Nursery for their very generous support.

“Having the children there was a delight and everyone at the club enjoyed their visit. As well as dancing, they were singing songs to us and were getting great claps and giving us laughs.

“It’s lovely for the young generation to interact with our older people and the nursery wanted to be more involved with the community. It has been open for 10 years at the youth and community centre in Stoughton Recreation Ground, off Worplesadon Road. If anyone wants more information on the nursery, you can visit their website here.”

Grubs up for the kids as well; sausage and chips followed by ice cream.

The Thursday Club meets at St Mary’s Church Hall, Aldershot Road, Rydes Hill, every Thursday from 2pm to 4pm. It is a very lively group which enjoys all sorts of entertainment from talks, luncheons, gentle keep fit exercises, films and much more. A varied programme of events.