Parky joins fun at jubilee party
Maidenhead: Men's Matters group celebrates milestone
A social group supporting older men invited its patron Sir Michael Parkinson to join in with their Platinum Jubilee celebrations last week.
Men’s Matters held two separate jubilee events on Wednesday, June 1, a barbecue for its Windsor group and a tea party for its Maidenhead cohort to mark the historic occasion.
Men’s Matters is a social club for older men to help tackle loneliness and isolation.
The Windsor event, held in the courtyard at All Saints CofE Church in Dedworth, saw a total of 38 people attend the barbecue, with Sir Michael coming along from 1.30-2.30pm.
Trustee Tim Walker led a toast to the Queen, which was followed by a speech from Sir Michael.
Tim said: “Our members were thrilled at his attendance and personal touch, moving around the tables and chatting with our men
and their partners.”
Royal Borough council leader Cllr Andrew Johnson, deputy leader Samantha Rayner, and Cllr Helen Price (Clewer & Dedworth East) were also in attendance at the barbecue.
Guests also included All Saints churchwarden Sue Morgan, Tesco Community champion for Dedworth Lisa Stevens who sponsored the food and drink, and Thames Valley Police PSCO Les Bradfield cooked the sausages, beef burgers and vegetarian burgers on the barbecue.
In Maidenhead, a total of 25 men attended the Maidenhead Men’s Matters Platinum Jubilee Tea Party.
The party took place at
Maidenhead Community Centre in Marlow Road at the group’s regular meeting time of 2pm-4pm.
The room was adorned with jubilee decorations as attendees gathered to enjoy finger food and cakes, provided by the members and their partners.
Members were invited to bring along photos of themselves as children or babies and a game was played where members tried to guess who the individuals were as adults.
Attendees also had pub song sheets and enjoyed a sing-along at the party.
Following his visit to the barbecue, Sir Michael spent about an hour at the event in Maidenhead, sharing stories and joining in with the singing.
Paul Samuels, manager of Maidenhead Men’s Matters, said: “It was a delight having him with us.”
He added: “It was important to give our men the very best Platinum Jubilee Tea Party, after all they had all lived through the Queen's reign, and it was an important event for them.”