Blog: Food, friendship and kindness – why I love the T Club

In this personal reflection, Marilyn Rodgers tells us why she is a regular at the T Club.

What do you do on Tuesday afternoons? I go to the T Club in Maidens Church Hall. I’ve done so since I made the historic village on the south Ayrshire coast my home 11 years ago.

That’s T for Tuesday, tea and talk.

Maidens, bounded on one side by the majestic Culzean Castle and on the other by the Trump Turnberry Estate, has infrequent public transport. Public amenities are few and there is no community hub.

Fifteen years ago, motivated by the grief of losing her husband, a local woman used that energy to galvanise a few friends into action. Together, they spread the word that a Tuesday afternoon gathering was starting up. It would be open to everyone. A venue was identified and rented, an official constitution drawn up, a chairperson and treasurer were voted in and hey presto, the T Club was up and running.

There were no membership forms, a nominal yearly subscription and 50 pence on the collection plate each week to cover refreshments. I make it sound easy, but it wasn’t. A lot of hard work was involved.

Over the years T Club has been lucky enough to receive monetary grants from government and non-governmental agencies. This has been used to buy equipment and games as well as fund days out.

Among our memorable outings have been trips to Dumfries House, the Burrell Collection and Ayr's Gaiety Theatre. We quiz, recite poetry, enjoy guest speakers and play sheet football (don't ask!). 

Food makes us happy and usually ensures maximum attendance, so we use this as an excuse to celebrate everything. Now, however, we tend to outsource our menus rather than cater in house. (Dear Jean, how we miss your tattie scones.)

Having said that, we still cherish our special occasion home bakers and continually drop hints.

Lockdown was hard. More than a third of our members live on their own. The weeks stretched out. We lost some of our club friends and sadly could not share our respectful farewells.

As soon as government guidelines allowed, we were back in the church hall, masked and distanced, planning the way forward.

In October we celebrated the T Club's fifteenth anniversary. It, of course, involved food and good company. We reflected on friendships formed, advice shared and quiet ongoing kindnesses.

Mission accomplished.