General Chat

:-D But I would take it to mean a euphamism for something like Silver surfers, pensioners, or maybe village volunteers. Club makes it sound cliquie

You are absolutely right Ann. But our imaginations are making the place sound Soooo much more interesting. :-D :-D :-D

Do they still have those dinner parties where all the keys go on a bowl?

To be invited you have to be part of the CLUB, and the car keys mean you had to TRAVEL.

Those parties were a bit 'driverist' weren't they?
I mean, not everyone has a car!

We moved quite often when we were young marrieds.

Often, when talking to people at our new location and they found where we'd moved from, they would ask
"Wasn't that where 'those' parties were taking place?"

We never heard anything about them until we moved away :-S

Yeh. That's what you say.

Walking around my new neighbourhood, I've realised, there's lots of pampas grass around here! ;-)

Ooo eck!

Looking forward to all those welcome to the neighbourhood invites for after the 17th?

Shall I tell you what it is all about?

I bet it will be a disappointment after all the suggestions :-D

Long ago, in the sixties, the Good Companions club was started in the village when there were a lot of people who had grown up and old together in the village. It flourished for may years but is coming to its natural conclusion with four members left who are in their eighties and nineties. Nobody has joined for a very long time.

At about the same time as the Good Companions was founded, the village raised money to buy a community mini-bus which was registered as a charity and was constituted primarily for the transport of the "aged and handicapped" of the village.It is, however , available for the use of anybody as long as they are on the insurance.

It is constituted as the 'Good Companions Transport Club' which makes people think of it as the old peoples mini-bus. As a charity it is not possible too charge a fare so donations are asked of passengers and it is driven by volunteers but people do not seem keen to drive it or use it even if it does run two shopping trips a week.

I think the nae does not convey its true identity so newcomers who don't know what the facility is and assume it is not relevant to them.

That’s a very old minibus - I,m surprised it is still roadworthy. ;-)

You always get one don't you?

I am telling you it doesn't get used!

Perhaps they should, maybe at a local fete, see if people would want it again, or something similar, and, if so, start fundraising for a new bus!

Edit - and maybe give it a new name! :-D :-D

Seriously though. Maybe an article in the Parish Mag asking for new drivers and explaining that it is for everyone, young and old.

Sharron sounds like a good piece of PR is what is needed. I think you are the ideal person to undertake the task. :-) :-)

The current bus, which is not the original, is in need of expensive repair or replacement and is not getting enough use, especially during the last year, to have elicited enough money in donations to cover the expense.

Notices have gone out in both parish magazines for volunteer drivers with little response.

Never one to join the hand wringing and commiserating, I thought I might have a better look at the problem and I am now trying to convince those whose responsibility it is (glad that that is not me!) that nobody knows what the bloody club is!

And?

Is that so?

Well I never.

If only we had known.