Redwoods Lunch Club

The Lunch Club operates every other Monday from 11am to 1pm at just £7 per person

Our Redwoods Lunch Club is based in the Redwoods Building (or the Old Library, as many locals would remember before it’s conversion to a community hub in 2012). This over 65s Stowmarket Lunch Club has been operating since December 2013 and has grown in success over the years and is now one of the most popular projects at Red Gables.

Our Members visit fortnightly so that our two groups can visit on alternating weeks. We are proud to announce the growing membership of the Redwoods Lunch Club, which now brings together a total of 78 local seniors, split across both of our groups with a strong team of 7 Volunteers that run the group each week.

For just £7 per person, the Redwoods Lunch Club aims to help over 65s socialise and meet new people every other week by enjoying entertainment and a meal together. Please note that bookings are essential to join the Redwoods Lunch Club so we can ensure a meal is available for you.

What should I expect?

Upon arrival, members will be met with one of our Volunteers who will welcome and sign them in. Attendees will then head into the Redwoods Hall where they will be offered a hot drink once they are seated. When everyone has arrived and is seated, we will then start with our entertainment which consists of a guest speaker with a presentation either on a local organisation or a service that would benefit our members, or we host a quiz. Since the start of 2024, we have been able to invite along a variety of guest speakers who support the local community to join us, such as Dan’s Coaches, Stowmarket Carnival, Suffolk Trading Standards, Cadent Suffolk Centres for Warmth, Essex and Suffolk Rivers Trust, Suffolk Accident Rescue Service and Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service – just to name a few.

The talk/quiz is then always followed by a game of bingo before we serve Lunch at 12pm. Our kitchen Volunteers work very hard making a two-course cooked for everyone from a traditional menu. Most dietary preferences and allergens can be catered for. Past dishes include cottage pie, pork and apple casserole, mince and dumplings or bangers and mash. Mouth-watering desserts can include trifle, rice pudding, apple crumble, chocolate sponge and custard and many more. We then finish with more refreshments and draw the weekly raffle which costs just £1 for 5 tickets, before departing at 1pm.

Christmas at the Redwoods Lunch Club

Every year around the end of November and Start of December before we break up to give our incredible team some well-deserved time off, we host both of our groups at the Redwoods Lunch Club for a full blown Christmas dinner. Usual time and usual dinner but with a roast turkey (or alternative option) with all the trimmings, followed by rounds of mince pies with your refreshments and a Christmas pudding for dessert. We are pleased to often be joined by the local Stowmarket Town Mayor as they show their support to the Redwoods Lunch Club.

We are often looking for festive entertainment such as a singer or musician, please do get in touch if you think you could be of assistance. Please note we would not be able to accept a band or group of more than 4 as we are limited on space and capacity.

Dementia-friendly Group

Red Gables projects are dementia-friendly and our building is fully wheelchair accessible with a DWC available. We have many members that have a neurological condition such as Alzheimers or dementia, some of our volunteer team have a background in care or understanding dementia and Alzheimers and can offer a basic level of support. A carer should come along with those needing a higher level of assistance, but our friendly volunteer team are available to lend a hand where they can, within their ability.

We are often looking for festive entertainment such as a singer or musician, please do get in touch if you think you could be of assistance. Please note we would not be able to accept a band or group of more than 4 as we are limited on space and capacity.

The Lunch Club has funding support from Stowmarket Town Council, The Stowmarket Oddfellows and McCarthy Stone.