Russian 65+ Club

What about the Russian 65+ Club?

The main thing is that it is up and running. The format and size may be fairly modest, but it’s definitely there!

There are eight active members + about ten more potentially interested but hesitating.

I would not call it bubbly, but people do meet up, socialise, learn something new, and exchange their experiences of surviving and having fun in the UK. They usually meet in small groups of two or three, except for special, bigger events, such as birthday parties or the International Women’s Day (8^th March) celebration.

Young at heart: Some objected to the ageist concept of the “Club 65+”, so a new name is being considered. One of the proposals is “Golden Youth”. By the way, one of our young and active grannies brings her lovely grandchildren to the Club, and their cheerful company has become one of the highlights of our gatherings.

It is international: Together with Russian and Ukrainian members, there is a native English member, and a few Russian-speakers of other ethnic backgrounds are also interested.

How it works: Club members run their meetings and activities partly independently, and partly with the help of their families. They are not usually comfortable asking their grown-up sons and daughters directly for any support or assistance (e.g. for money to buy concert tickets), so preempting this difficulty by running the club in collaboration seems a good working solution.

Practical benefits: There is a number of very practical common problems that we can discuss and benefit from each other’s experience – such as visa applications and court-winning cases for elderly parents. Personally, I’ve already shared my experience with about four other families in a similar position. There are people around who have already been successful at winning the ‘new requirements’ cases.

Some of the activities:

• Listening to promenade concerts at the Fitzwilliam museum (6 or 7 Sundays);
• Visiting the Anthropology Museum (once);
• Celebrating 8^th March at one of our homes;
• Celebrating a very special birthday (80 years) of a member;
• Visiting the pretty village of Orwell near Cambridge, where one of the members lives, and enjoying scenic walks in the area.
• Numerous group walks in Cherry Hinton Park, Fulbourn Fen Reserve etc.;
• Attending a talk by Marlen Hutsiev (a legendary Russian filmmaker) and watching his film “I’m 20” at Trinity College;
• Attending CamRuSS early-May barbecue “Mayovka” in Wandlebury Park;
• Regular participation in Russian-English Conversation Group’s meetings at Waterstones;
• Listening to an organ recital at King’s College Chapel (once, self-organised).
• New activity: a joint flight to Moscow, which is planned for the end of May.

Future Plans:

• A trip to Stonehenge (postponed due to lack of interest/money);
• A strongly desired trip to Scotland;
• Joining the the local Russian Book Club and/or Drama Club.

By Irina Abnizova,
The 65+ Club Coordinator; email: Irina_abnizova@yahoo.co.uk

New members are very welcome!