Regular coffee and company help Devon members rebuild life after bereavement

After his wife died, Dave Dryden found that gardening and television could only fill so much of the day. The 90-year-old from Newton Abbot says a local friendship group gives him company he would otherwise miss.

Heart of the West Oddfellows organises gatherings around Newton Abbot and Torquay. Fellow member Jackie Campbell, who was bereaved and had stopped driving because of eyesight problems, told the BBC she had made friends and gained confidence.

The branch’s regular programme includes coffee mornings, games, talks and trips. Its monthly coffee gathering at Austins in Newton Abbot offers a familiar time and place to meet; attendees pay for the food or drink they order.

These are personal accounts, not a measured reduction in loneliness. Travel, cost and confidence can still make joining difficult, and no one activity will suit everyone.

Yet for Dave, the value is straightforward: people to spend time with. The next coffee gathering gives newcomers a small, practical way to start making connections too.

Sources

• BBC — Members describe friendship after bereavement
• Oddfellows — Heart of the West activities
• Oddfellows — Coffee gathering details and cost